Department for Transport

Railways: Coronavirus

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received on extending the validity period for Disabled Persons Railcard holders to compensate them for lack of access to rail services during the covid-19 outbreak; and what steps he is taking to ensure that the Rail Delivery Group tackles that issue.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Disabled Persons Railcard is sold and managed by the Rail Delivery Group on behalf on the rail industry. Therefore, any proposals for amending existing Railcard policies are for the Rail Delivery Group to bring forward. The Rail Delivery Group is working with train companies on a number of ways to assist Railcard holders, in light of the current COVID-19 related travel restrictions. Departmental officials have been engaging regularly with the Rail Delivery Group as it considers possible changes to Railcard conditions.

Driving Instruction: Coronavirus

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to waive the charge for a trainee driving instructor certificate for individuals who were advised by the DVSA to rescind their existing certificates.

Rachel Maclean: As the health and safety of staff and customers is key, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is working closely with the Department for Transport to prepare for a safe return to testing. It will announce details of resumption in due course.Trainee driving instructors who have trainee licences that are due to expire and who are observing Government guidelines not to work, should notify the DVSA as soon as possible. Trainees do not have to return their licence to the DVSA, but instead they will need to cut their licence in half and send a photo of the destroyed licence to: PADI@dvsa.gov.uk The Registrar will take all information into account, including the current circumstances, when deciding whether or not to grant a further trainee licence. As the required checks had previously been conducted it will not be necessary for those checks to be repeated before a further licence is granted. There is no provision in legislation to extend the period of a trainee licence beyond six months or to waive the fee.

Thames Gateway Bridge: Costs

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the projected costs for the Thames Gateway Bridge were; and what recent estimate he has made of the cost of the new Thames Tunnel.

Rachel Maclean: As you may be aware, transport in London is devolved. Proposals for river crossings or tunnels in London are the responsibility of the Mayor.

Shipping: Coronavirus

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to facilitate maritime crew changes during the covid-19 pandemic.

Kelly Tolhurst: The UK has not placed restrictions on the transit and transfer of seafarers. I have previously written to UN organisations asking for an international solution to this issue, confirming the UK’s position on crew changes, and also urged other countries to allow crew changes to take place. The UK has also exempted seafarers from the quarantine requirements

Tolls

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the role of congestion charging in helping to reduce traffic in towns and cities; and whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of congestion charging for helping to control levels of (a) traffic and (b) air pollution as the covid-19 lockdown is lifted.

Rachel Maclean: The decision to implement road charging in towns and cities is ultimately one for the relevant Local Highways Authority. The Mayor of London recently reinstated the Congestion and Ultra Low Emission Zone charges in the capital as a measure to manage traffic and air quality. A number of larger cities are developing proposals for charging Clean Air Zones to reduce air pollution and our recent rapid call for evidence will ensure we can fully understand the impact that coronavirus is having on changes in air pollution emissions, concentrations and exposure.

Cars

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of whether a scrappage scheme that allowed older cars to be swapped for new diesel and petrol cars would be compatible with the Government’s commitment to phase out sales of those vehicles by 2035.

Rachel Maclean: The Government has no current plans to introduce a scrappage scheme. We are investing around £2.5bn,‎ with grants available for ultra-low emission vehicles, as well as funding to support charge point infrastructure at homes, workplaces, on residential streets and across the wider roads network. We are consulting on bringing forward the end to the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2040 to 2035, or earlier if a faster transition appears feasible, as well as including hybrids for the first time. By talking to stakeholders about the best way to achieve that ambition, we will more easily be able to identify what measures would be needed to support the transition.

Wrexham-Bidston Railway Line

Dr James Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with local stakeholders on the future of the Wrexham to Bidston Railway line.

Chris Heaton-Harris: My Department is actively engaged with Transport for Wales’s work to progress plans for a North Wales Metro and is providing strategic planning support and guidance on funding mechanisms. Interventions to deliver service frequency improvements are currently being progressed and my officials will continue to engage with regional bodies on wider proposals and to provide advice on how they might be funded in the future.

Railways: Chester and North Wales

Dr James Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on linking railway stations in (a) North Wales and (b) Chester to Northern Powerhouse Rail.

Chris Heaton-Harris: This month the HS2 Minister will meet with leaders from the Midlands and the North, to discuss priorities for rail investment. During this meeting the Government will present an Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands by the end of 2020, which will look at how to deliver NPR, HS2 Phase 2b, and related connections more effectively. Some supporting infrastructure enhancements in this corridor, including line speed improvements, are already under consideration through industry planning studies and the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline.

Railways: North Wales

Dr James Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2020 to Question 52205, on Rolling Stock: Energy, what steps he is taking to ensure that North Wales benefits from developments to low carbon rail transport solutions.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Rail decarbonisation will be an important element in the UK’s first Transport Decarbonisation Plan. The Department is working with Network Rail and the rail industry to determine which parts of the network are best suited to use of hydrogen and battery trains and electrification. Introduction of these technologies will deliver environmental improvements and benefits for rail users across the rail network. Through the Transport Decarbonisation Plan the Government will continue to support the UK economy through the development of expertise on low carbon technologies.

Air Traffic: Electric Vehicles

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support electric short-haul flights in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government supports the development of new aviation technology such as electric aircraft. We are providing £125m of funding to the Future Flight Challenge and supported the Civil Aviation Authority establish an Innovation Hub to engage with innovative aviation companies. Government will consult on Aviation and Climate Change later this year.

Railways

Darren Henry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve rail services in (a) Nottinghamshire, (b) the East Midlands, and (c) England.

Chris Heaton-Harris: East Midlands Railway will introduce additional trains in 2021 to bring more carriages on regional routes and a fully refurbished fleet is planned. The £1.5 billion investment to deliver the Midland Mail Line Upgrade will enable at least a 70 per cent increase in seats and quicker peak journeys to London for the Nottinghamshire and the East Midlands. In England as a whole, we are currently delivering a significant programme of investment to upgrade both the infrastructure and the trains on our railway. The Government is committed to invest around £48 billion in maintaining and upgrading the rail network in the period from 2019 to 2024, focused on increasing reliability and punctuality for passengers.

Shipping: Coronavirus

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of UK seafarers stranded overseas and awaiting repatriation.

Kelly Tolhurst: It is estimated that there are approximately 2-2,500 UK seafarers who either are coming to the end of their contract or will already have had it extended.

Cycling and Walking: Sheffield

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding his Department has allocated to Sheffield City Council in relation to active travel.

Chris Heaton-Harris: On the 29th May, indicative allocations to local authorities from the Emergency Active Travel Fund were published on gov.uk. Sheffield City Region Combined Authority has been indicatively allocated a total of £7,186,000. The Department will confirm allocations from tranche 1 of the Emergency Active Travel Fund as soon as possible, and will invite bids from authorities for tranche 2 of the fund shortly. Before receiving any funding, authorities must submit satisfactory plans to the Department, and the amount each authority receives will depend on it satisfying the Department that it has ambitious plans in place to reallocate road space to cyclists and pedestrians.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Sub Post Offices: Staff

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the average age is of Sub-Postmasters in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) each region of England.

Paul Scully: The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK. While the Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office, it allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business. As such, the average age of Postmasters across the UK is a matter for Post Office Limited.

Post Offices: Closures

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many of each post office branch type have been temporarily closed in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) each region of England as of (i) 31 March 2020 and (ii) since 1 April 2020.

Paul Scully: The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK. While the Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office, it allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business. As such, the number of Post Offices which are temporarily closed across the UK is an operational matter for Post Office Limited.

Bounce Back Loan Scheme: Scotland

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many Bounce Back Loans have been approved in Scotland to date; and what the total value is of those loans.

Paul Scully: As of 21 June, 921,229 loans have been issued under the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS), with a total value of £28.09 billion.Issuing new loans is the priority for lenders and the Government.At this time, we are unable to provide a breakdown of lending or number of applications by region or devolved region. We are working with the British Business Bank, HM Treasury and the lenders on regular and transparent data publication going forward.

Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many (a) bed and breakfast, (b) hotel and (c) guest house owners have accessed the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund, by (i) region, (ii) local authority area and (ii) the value of that support.

Paul Scully: Government is working closely with all local authorities to help them make payments to businesses in scope of the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund (RHLGF) as quickly and effectively as possible. As of 14 June, £10.36 billion has been paid out to over 844,000 business properties in scope of Small Business Grants Fund and Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund. We do not hold data from local authorities broken down by sector. We have, however, published a full breakdown of grant funding allocated to and distributed by each local authority here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-grant-funding-local-authority-payments-to-small-and-medium-businesses.

Future Fund

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of UK start-ups whose Future Fund loans will be converted to equity.

Paul Scully: As of 21 June, 252 convertible loans have been approved under the Future Fund, with a total value of £236.2 million.We are currently monitoring scheme uptake and total uptake statistics are published weekly here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hm-treasury-coronavirus-covid-19-business-loan-scheme-statistics.The convertible loans issued under this scheme will automatically convert to equity in recipient companies in the next qualifying equity financing round. There may also be other circumstances in which loans would either convert into shares or be repayable, such as: specific exit events; maturity of the Loan; or on an event of default by the Investee Company.As a result, we are unable to make an estimate on the number of conversions at this time.

Clinical Trials: Finance

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of the core science budget was allocated to fund medical trials of new drugs during the last period for which data is available.

Amanda Solloway: UK Research and Innovation is funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and supports basic research into the development of new drugs including pre-clinical research and early stage clinical trials. It does not routinely analyse data on the number of trials specifically relating to the development of new drugs. UK Research and Innovation supports clinical trials through the Medical Research Council (MRC) including early phase clinical stage trials through ‘response mode’ schemes such as the Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme, which supports pre-clinical development and early clinical trial of novel therapeutics including new and repurposing of existing therapies. Later stage trials are funded through the Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation Programme (which is a jointly funded partnership between MRC and the National Institute for Health Research). The MRC also supports: The Joint Global Health Trials programme in partnership with the National Institute for Health Research, the Department for International Development and the Wellcome Trust.The European Developing Countries Clinical Trials programme (EDCTP), with a specific focus on poverty-related infectious diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa. These provide funding to later stage trials including studies evaluating the efficacy and effectiveness of interventions with potential to make a step-change in the promotion of health, treatment of disease and improvement of rehabilitation or long-term care. A recent example of a clinical trial project for a new medicine is the award of over £2.7 million for a Clinical Trial of a Novel Treatment for Clostridium difficile (associated diarrhoea) from Innovate UK as part of the Biomedical Catalyst. This was awarded to MGB Biopharma Ltd based in Glasgow for this new class of small molecule antibiotic.

Bounce Back Loan Scheme

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he has taken to accredit more lenders to the Coronavirus Bounce Back Loan Scheme.

Paul Scully: In order to offer the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS), finance providers must be accredited by the Government-owned British Business Bank. Accrediting new lenders for the BBLS is a priority for the Bank. It is working at pace to accredit more lenders to further extend the scheme’s reach and provide more choice for businesses. The Bank has put substantial additional resources in place to create a streamlined process to help onboard new lenders seeking accreditation. There are currently 23 accredited lenders for the BBLS.

Enterprise Zones: Coronavirus

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential for Enterprise Zones as part of his plans for covid-19 recovery planning.

Nadhim Zahawi: Enterprise Zones (EZs) are designated areas that create local economic growth by supporting businesses to grow. Currently, the Government has no plans to extend or create new EZs. However, the Government remains committed to creating up to ten new innovative Freeports across the UK, to level up the country and make sure businesses and communities benefit from the opportunities of leaving the EU. The consultation concludes on the 13th July, after which the Government will make further announcements.

Tattooing: Coronavirus

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reasons tattoo shops, in which personal protective equipment, non re-usable needles are used and strict hygiene standards apply, are included in the same category as hairdressers and beauty salons in respect of when they may reopen after the covid-19 outbreak.

Paul Scully: The Government is committed to reopening businesses in a phased approach, guided by the science to ensure it is safe to do so. As such, we have now published (23 June) new guidance for working safely during coronavirus for close contact services and restaurants, pubs and bars. This supports the Prime Minister’s announcement on 23 June for their reopening from 4 July where they can do so in a safe and COVID-secure way, and their preparation for reopening at a later date where they cannot reopen on 4th July – as in the case of some close contact services. Close Contact Services are defined as work where someone is in close physical proximity to other individuals outside their household for a sustained period of time throughout their working day. This includes tattoo artists who need to be in close physical contact and often in touching distance with people outside their household for long periods of time to do their work. Some of these sectors remain closed because the risk of transmission in these environments is higher due to the indoor environment and closer physical contact. We will work with the sector to develop safe ways for them to open at the earliest point at which it is safe to do so.

Electric Scooters: Safety

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps (a) his Department and (b) the Office for Product Safety and Standards are taking to raise public awareness on the safe charging of e-scooters in homes.

Paul Scully: Manufacturers are required to ensure the safety of their products under reasonably foreseeable use, and to issue instructions for safe use. The Government is considering the requirements for electric scooters as part of its Future of Transport Regulatory Review. Following this review any necessary public awareness information or guidance will be issued.

Employment: Domestic Abuse

Darren Henry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that businesses have a robust policy to safeguard (a) victims and (b) survivors of domestic abuse in the workplace.

Paul Scully: On 9 June 2020, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy launched a review into support for victims of domestic abuse in the workplace. The review aims to ensure victims of domestic abuse are given the support they deserve within the workplace, whether that is an outlet for reporting abuse, financial assistance or as a source of emotional support. The review will also look specifically at employer policies and best practice when it comes to practically supporting victims. The review features a call for written evidence which is open until 9 September, and the Government will respond by the end of 2020.The Government also continues to support the important work of the Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse to mobilise employers to work together and improve the support available to employees affected by domestic abuse.More widely, the Government’s Domestic Abuse Bill, which is going through Parliament, will provide significant and important changes in the law to ensure that victims of domestic abuse get the support they need.

Derelict Land: Regeneration

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of a new industrial site reclamation scheme to help bring regional strategic employment sites forward for development.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he will meet with (a) the Hon Member for Denton and Reddish and (b) officers from Tameside Council to discuss plans for bringing the Ashton Moss regional strategic employment site forward for development.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will provide support to Tameside Council to help bring forward the borough’s employment site investment strategy.

Nadhim Zahawi: Officials in the Department recently met with Greater Manchester Combined Authority and will continue discussions on plans for Tameside and the vision for the city region. The Government has made funding available to support these types of scheme. This includes £663.4 million from the Government’s Local Growth Fund 1, 2 and 3 to Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership, of which £3.5 million went to the Tameside Minors project for highway and rail access improvements, as well as cycle links. Tameside will soon have the opportunity to apply for further funding to support local regeneration. This includes a further round of the Future High Streets Fund to welcome proposals from local authorities to change their high streets. There are also plans to enable further places to benefit from the Towns Fund. It is vital that we have well-resourced, efficient, and effective planning frameworks in place to unlock regeneration, investment, and business growth. Our ambitions build on the Government’s recent Planning White Paper, which aims to make the planning system clearer and more accessible. The White Paper includes options to introduce a new planning fee structure to ensure that planning authorities are resourced to improve the speed and quality of decisions.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Aviation: Coronavirus

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts from (a) Australia, (b) EU member states and (c) New Zealand on the establishment of air bridges.

James Duddridge: The Government is considering the concept of international travel corridors, including air bridges, and how they could be implemented in practice along with other measures. We want to open up as a country as soon as we responsibly and safely can, but we have to do it safely and responsibly. We are, of course, continuing to engage with all partners on all aspects of the global response to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Trade Agreements: Brazil

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that the UK's trade facilitation programme with Brazil upholds internationally agreed climate commitments.

Wendy Morton: The Prosperity Fund's Trade Facilitation Programme aims to support Brazil's integration into international markets in a sustainable and inclusive way. It will support a simplified and more stable business environment, which will contribute to increasing economic growth, inward investment and opportunities for international business, including for the UK. The UK Government's partnership with Brazil will reduce the economic and environmental costs of international trade, while strengthening Brazilian commitments and capacity to low carbon growth as part of our COP26 aims. The Trade Facilitation Programme's work to ensure climate and environmental standards will enable Brazil to build back better after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Turkey: Human Rights

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Turkish counterpart on the upcoming trial of Amnesty International Turkey’s (a) honorary Chair Taner Kılıç and (b) former Director Idil Eser and their nine co-defendant human rights defenders.

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations has he made to his Turkish counterpart Turkey on (a) that country's treatment of human rights defenders and (b) the condition of detention facilities in which they are kept in that country.

Wendy Morton: We remain concerned by the Amnesty arrests in the summer of 2017 of eleven human rights defenders, including Amnesty Turkey's former director, Idil Eser, and former chair, Taner Kılıç. We have followed the cases closely, including attendance at court hearings. We have raised their cases at Ministerial level with the Turkish Government on several occasions, as well as raising them in January this year through the UN's Universal Periodic Review of Turkey. We hope that the outstanding charges against them can be brought to a timely and equitable conclusion. We will be monitoring the next hearing in early July.The United Kingdom recognises that human rights defenders play an essential role in promoting and protecting democracy, respect for human rights, and the rule of law. We regularly raise our human rights concerns with the Turkish authorities at the highest level, particularly around detentions, freedom of expression and association. We continue to urge the authorities to ensure that all detainees are treated in accordance with relevant international human rights standards, such as access to legal representation and medical care We will continue to engage the Turkish Government on these important issues. We are clear in our expectation that Turkey, like all countries, should live up to its human rights obligations towards all its citizens.

USA: Police Brutality

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he and his Ministers have made representations to their counterparts in the US on the issue of police brutality in that country following the murder of George Floyd; and if he will make a statement.

Wendy Morton: The Foreign Secretary has been clear that the death of George Floyd was appalling, inexcusable and deeply distressing. We hope and trust that justice will be done. The violence we've seen in the US around this is very alarming. We've been clear that people must be allowed to protest peacefully. Our Embassy in the US has raised the issue of the protests with the US Administration and have explained the very strong interest in this issue among the British public.

Nigeria: Human Rights and Violence

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Government of Nigeria on investigating cases of military complicity in (a) violence against Christians and (b) human rights abuses.

James Duddridge: The UK Government is firmly committed to promoting and protecting human rights around the world. We have made clear to the Nigerian authorities, at the highest levels, the importance of protecting civilians, including all ethnic and religious groups, and human rights for all Nigerians. We are aware of allegations of military complicity in attacks on communities of all faiths. We call for allegations of human rights abuses and excessive use of force to be investigated and those responsible for any abuses to be held to account.Following allegations of human rights abuses made regarding Nigerian military detention facilities in Amnesty International's recent report, We Dried Our Tears, the British High Commissioner raised these with the Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and called for a full investigation into the allegations and prosecution of any individuals found to have committed abuses. We reiterate that the UK Government does not provide any support to the military detention facilities mentioned.

Department for International Development: Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) international aid organisations and (b) humanitarian and development experts were consulted by the Foreign Office as part of the decision to merge the Department for International Development with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

James Cleverly: Holding answer received on 22 June 2020



The Prime Minister has decided to merge the Department for International Development with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to form a new international department - the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The Government will continue to engage closely with interested stakeholders, including UK and international Non-Governmental Organisations, in the weeks and months to come as we work to create the new department, which will unite our development expertise and first class diplomatic service to make the UK a force for good in the world.

Department for International Development: Reorganisation

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, for what reason the Government did not wait for the conclusion of the review into foreign, defence and development policy before making the decision that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development should merge.

James Cleverly: Holding answer received on 23 June 2020



The Prime Minister has been considering this question for some time. Covid-19 has demonstrated just how important it is that our development and diplomatic efforts are fused together more closely. The integrated foreign policy review is expected to conclude later in the year, linked to the spending review. The review will define the Government's ambition for the UK's role in the world and its outcomes will shape the objectives of the new department. Both the review and the merger are evidence of the PM's commitment to a unified British foreign policy that will maximise our influence around the world.

Department for International Development: Reorganisation

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will publish the internal review that informed the decision to merge the Department for International Development with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

James Cleverly: Holding answer received on 23 June 2020



The Prime Minister discussed the merger with both Secretaries of State, and has concluded that in the next decade, international issues will be even more important to the lives of our citizens and our own national interest; that the world will become even more complex and competitive, with growing, interconnected challenges and opportunities for the UK; and that therefore we need a new all-of-government approach if we are to secure our values and interests in a changing world.

Nigeria: Violence

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the report published by the all-party Parliamentary group on International Freedom of Religion or Belief on 15 June 2020 entitled Nigeria: unfolding genocide.

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will provide (a) financial, (b) technical and (c) capacity building support to his Nigerian counterpart to implement the recommendations in the report published by the all-party Parliamentary group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief on 15 June 2020 entitled Nigeria: unfolding genocide.

James Duddridge: We welcome the APPG's report and the detailed analysis it provides on the complex issues of intercommunal violence across multiple states of Nigeria and acts of terrorism committed by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa in North East Nigeria. The UK Government strongly condemns all acts of violence in Nigeria. We are considering the report and its recommendations in detail and I will provide a full response in due course.

Nigeria: Religion

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will introduce mandatory training for staff of his Department in Nigeria on (a) patterns of discrimination and conflict with religious characteristics and (b) how religion and religious actors interact with the societal and conflict context.

James Duddridge: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Yu Wensheng

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he is making to the Chinese government about the imprisonment of human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng following a secret trial.

Nigel Adams: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Attorney General

Intestacy

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Attorney General, whether she has made a recent assessment of levels of compliance among local authorities with the guidance issued by the Government Legal Department on the referral to the Bona Vacantia Division of estates of people who have died without (a) known entitled relatives and (b) leaving a will and instead passing the details directly to a single heir hunting firm.

Michael Ellis: The Bona Vacantia Division (BVD) of the Government Legal Department (GLD) deals with the estates of people domiciled in England & Wales who appear to have died without leaving a valid will or relatives entitled to share in their estates in priority to the Crown. Estates which potentially fall to be dealt with as bona vacantia may be referred to BVD by a variety of routes, for example, banks, other financial institutions, solicitors or members of the public. There is no statutory obligation to refer estates to BVD but guidance on the referral process and the circumstances in which a referral will be accepted are published on BVD’s website (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/bona-vacantia). It is for local authorities to determine whether an estate should be referred to BVD. In 2017-2018, 2768 estates were referred to BVD of which 909 were referred by local authorities. In 2018-2019, 1971 estates were referred to BVD of which 575 were referred by local authorities.In 2019-2020, 2336 estates were referred to BVD of which 561 were referred by local authorities GLD has no responsibility for overseeing local authorities or their compliance with guidance issued by GLD about the handling of estates. Such information – including whether an estate has been referred to the Bona Vacantia Division of GLD, or whether the local authority has instructed an heir hunter – will be held by the particular local authority concerned.

Intestacy

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Attorney General, if she will make it her policy to strengthen the guidance issued by the Government Legal Department to local authorities on handling the estates of people who have died without (a) known entitled relatives and (b) leaving a will to ensure that they refer all eligible estates as soon as possible after death to the Bona Vacantia Division and do not pass the details directly to a single heir hunting firm.

Michael Ellis: The Bona Vacantia Division of the Government Legal Department (GLD) handles the estates of people who die without known entitled relatives, and without leaving a will. There is no statutory obligation to refer estates to GLD. However, GLD publishes guidance on the matter. In addition, local authorities can and do seek advice from GLD about the referral of specific cases. GLD does not provide advice to local authorities on the use of heir hunters.

Department of Health and Social Care

Paediatrics: Coronavirus

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the maintenance of an adequate provision of paediatric bladder and bowel services during the covid-19 outbreak for people that are (a) subject to protection plans, (b) looked after and (c) that are subject to high levels of professional concern.

Jo Churchill: Throughout the pandemic the National Health Service has encouraged children, young people and their families to continue accessing services should they need it. The NHS is working to ensure that services continue to be available for patients. This includes access the paediatric bladder and bowel services.Using the Child Protection Information System (CPIS), NHS England and NHS Improvement can track children who have a protection plan or looked after status. However, it should be noted that CPIS does not have a specific medical diagnosis for bladder or bowel conditions.

Vaccination: Coronavirus

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of civil servants working on the (a) development and (b) distribution of a covid-19 vaccine.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 02 June 2020



The Department has not made an estimate of the number of civil servants working on development and distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine because it is a cross-Government effort, covering all aspects of vaccine development and delivery, and includes people from a wide range of departments and organisations, led by the new Vaccines Taskforce.This includes, but is not limited to, civil servants in the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for International Development, Her Majesty’s Treasury and Cabinet Office. This is in addition to people in the Medical Research Council looking at early stage Research and Development, the National Institute for Health Research supporting clinical trials, the Office for Life Sciences on working with industry, and those in Public Health England working on areas such as vaccine procurement, contracting, and training.

Drugs: Coronavirus

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of civil servants supporting the (a) development and (b) deployment of anti-viral drugs to reduce covid-19 symptoms.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 02 June 2020



The pursuit of safe and effective COVID-19 treatments is a cross-Government effort from people in UK Research and Innovation looking at early stage research and development, to those in the National Institute for Health Research supporting clinical trials, and the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Public Health England (PHE) and NHS England overseeing medicine supply, manufacturing and procurement strategies.The Therapeutics Taskforce is driving forward, expediting and co-ordinating efforts to research, produce and distribute safe and effective COVID-19 treatments to patients as soon as possible.We estimate that there are at least 50 civil servants (27.4 full-time equivalents) working across the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and PHE on the development and deployment of treatments for COVID-19. It is not possible to segregate this figure for anti-viral drugs only.

Coronavirus: Thromboembolism

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans NHS England has to protect patients with covid-19 from the increased risk in that group of potentially fatal venous thromboembolism.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when NHS England plans to publish the expert clinical guidance that it commissioned on thrombosis and critical care for patients with covid-19 which was submitted for dissemination on 28 April 2020.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 02 June 2020



As COVID-19 is a new disease, there is no high quality evidence to guide clinical management in protecting patients with the disease from the increased risk of thromboembolism. NHS England and NHS Improvement are urging clinicians to support research which may evaluate methods to prevent or reduce harm from thromboembolism in the context of COVID-19.NHS England and NHS Improvement are not planning to publish clinical guidance it commissioned in relation to venous thromboembolism in patients with COVID-19. NHS England and NHS Improvement are engaging with other organisations and professional bodies and looking to them to publish the guidance as soon as possible.

Drugs: Imports

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the UK’s ability to import prescription medications for supply to the NHS.

Jo Churchill: As part of our concerted national efforts to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak, we are doing everything we can to ensure patients continue to have access to safe and effective medicines.Ensuring supply chains remain open is a priority for this Government. We have world-class systems in place to prevent supply problems and we are working closely with industry and partners, both nationally and globally, to prevent shortages and continue to ensure that patients receive the medicines, including prescription-only medicines, they need.

Drugs: Prices

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of drug prices since the start of the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: The costs of branded medicines are controlled by the 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access and the statutory scheme for branded medicines.For unbranded generic medicines the Department relies on competition to keep prices down. This has led to some of the lowest prices in Europe and allows prices to react to the market. In an international market this ensures that when demand is high and supply is low, prices in the United Kingdom can increase to help secure the availability of medicines for UK patients.We continuously monitor overall movements in changes in prices of medicines through various methods including data from suppliers using the provisions in the Health Service Products (Provision and Disclosure of Information) Regulations 2018. However, it is too early to assess the full financial impact on the National Health Service and pharmacies in light of COVID-19.

Drugs: Procurement

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of supply of (a) buprenorphine, (b) methadone and (c) naltrexone during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 08 June 2020



As part of our concerted national efforts to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak, we are doing everything we can to ensure patients continue to have access safe and effective medicines. Supplies of buprenorphine, methadone and naltrexone continue to remain available.The Department has well-established procedures to deal with medicine shortages and is working closely with industry, the National Health Service and others in the supply chain to reduce the likelihood of future shortages.The Department shares regular information about impending supply issues and management plans with the NHS via networks in primary and secondary care and will liaise with relevant patient groups about issues affecting specific medicines, medical devices and equipment.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment he has made of the number of daily deaths caused by covid-19 infection in England and EU member states; and what assessment he has made of effect of easing the lockdown restrictions on the number of deaths due to that infection.

Jo Churchill: The Government cannot make comparisons with the death rate of other countries yet because countries measure deaths in different ways. We will learn lessons from our response to this virus, but these must be drawn from an accurate international analysis in the future.As set out in “Our Plan to Rebuild”, the Government is introducing a range of adjustments to current social distancing controls, timing these carefully according to both the current transmission rate of the virus and the Government’s ability to ensure safety. The steps for modifying social distancing measures are set out in the plan, with strict conditions to safely move from each step to the next. We will make changes if and, only if, we think it is safe to do so. Protecting the health and safety of the British public is, and must always be, our number one priority.

Care Homes: Coronavirus

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to help ensure that care home residents have access to (a) medical assessments and (b) treatment irrespective of age.

Helen Whately: Throughout the pandemic we have been working closely with the sector and public health experts to put in place guidance and support for adult social care. Primary care and community health services are key to ensuring care homes have the clinical support they need. As part of the care home support package announced on 15 May, the National Health Service has committed that this includes timely access to clinical advice for care home staff and residents, a named clinical lead for every care home, proactive support for residents through personalised care and support planning, and remote monitoring of residents with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.On 1 May, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) were also asked to take immediate steps to implement the delivery of consistent weekly care home ‘check ins’. These check ins are to review patients identified as a clinical priority for assessment and care, drawing on general practice and community services staff. They should include appropriate and consistent medical oversight and input from a general practitioner and/or geriatrician.

Mental Illness: Coronavirus

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to data on deaths of people subject to the Mental Health Act 1983 from the Care Quality Commission on 7 May 2020, what assessment he has of changes in the level of deaths of people subject to that Act (a) where covid-19 was a factor in the death (b) overall since 1 March 2020.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Care Quality Commission has reported that there have been 152 deaths of people subject to the Mental Health Act 1983 (from 1 March to 5 June 2020). Around half of these cases (75 deaths) are suspected or confirmed to be related to COVID-19, according to mental health providers. The proportion of deaths associated with COVID-19 is consistent with that reported on 7 May 2020, which the CQC reported mirrored a rise in notifications from other sectors.The CQC is continuing to monitor the numbers of deaths of patients under the Mental Health Act. It has also written to providers asking them to continue reporting the deaths of patients under the Mental Health Act regardless of whether they are transferred to an acute trust for treatment.

Pharmacy: Coronavirus

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to stop wholesalers artificially inflating prices to pharmacies during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: The costs of branded medicines are controlled by the 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access and the statutory scheme for branded medicines.For unbranded generic medicines the Department relies on competition to keep prices down. This has led to some of the lowest prices in Europe and allows prices to react to the market. In an international market this ensures that when demand is high and supply is low, prices in the United Kingdom can increase to help secure the availability of medicines for UK patients.Companies should not capitalise on the current COVID-19 situation by charging unjustifiably high prices for drugs and other supplies. Concerns about pricing abuse are a matter for the Competition and Markets Authority.

Blood Cancer: Drugs

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that NICE recommendations for newly licensed medicines for (a) blood cancer and (b) multiple myeloma are not delayed as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment has been made of the effectiveness of NICE’s methodology for assessing combination therapies.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 11 June 2020



In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) adapted its priorities to support the National Health Service, local authorities and the wider health and social care sector. In March, NICE paused the publication of topics that were not COVID-19-related or therapeutically critical to avoid distracting the NHS at a time of unprecedented pressure. However, on 1 June NICE began a phased restart of publishing guidance that had previously been paused.All cancer appraisals were identified as being therapeutically critical and kept to their planned timelines. NICE is currently developing guidance on eight technologies for treating multiple myeloma and leukaemia, and the timescales for these are available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/search?om=[{%22gst%22:[%22In%20development%22]}]&ps=15&q=blood+cancer&sp=onNICE is an independent body and is responsible for the methods it uses in developing its guidance. NICE is currently undertaking a review of its methods for health technology evaluation.

Coronavirus: Death

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people that died of non-covid-19 causes in (a) care homes and (b) the community had been tested for covid-19 and received a negative result in each week from 2 March to 4 May 2020.

Jo Churchill: The data is not currently available in the format requested.

Lacri-lube

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has of the availability of the dry-eye medication Lacrilube; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: The Department fully understands that maintaining access to dry eye medications is vitally important to many people in this country.We are aware that, due to long term manufacturing issues experienced by the sole supplier, Lacri-Lube Eye ointment has not been available since 2018.We have liaised with the Royal College of Ophthalmologists who has issued advice for clinicians regarding suitable alternative treatments to manage affected patients during this time. We have also communicated the supply issue with the National Health Service and supplies of Lacri-Lube are expected to become available at the end of this year.We continue to work closely with industry and partners in the health system to help prevent shortages and to ensure that the risks to patients are minimised when supply issues do arise.

Epilepsy: Cannabis

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many prescriptions for (a) Epidyolex and (b) unlicensed cannabis-based medicines were issued for people with epilepsy by the NHS in each month since November 2018.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 15 June 2020



The information requested is not held by the Department. Prescription data collected by the NHS Business Services Authority does not include what condition the medicine has been prescribed for.

Epilepsy: Cannabis

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support research into cannabis-based medicines for epilepsy.

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including cannabis-based medicines in the remit of the proposed Innovative Medicines Fund.

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on implementing the recommendations contained in the report published by NHS England and NHS Improvement, entitled Barriers to accessing cannabis-based products for medicinal use on NHS prescription, published in March 2019.

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve access to (a) cannabis-based medicines and (b) unlicensed medicinal products for children with severe and treatment-resistant conditions where clinically appropriate.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 15 June 2020



Guidelines published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) demonstrate a clear need for more evidence to support routine prescribing and funding decisions of cannabis-based medicines for severe treatment resistant epilepsy and other conditions. We are working hard with the health system, industry and researchers to improve the knowledge base available. The link to the guidance can be found at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng144 Central to this, NHS England and NHS Improvement are working closely with partners to deliver the recommendations from the NHS process evaluation report entitled ‘Barriers to Accessing Cannabis Based Products for Medicinal Use’. Progress has been made as follows: - On 20 December 2019 a letter was published reminding prescribers of General Medical Council guidance on the prescribing and use of unlicensed medicines – and to clarify the procedure for prescribing and supplying cannabis-based products for medicinal use. This complements training material put in place by Health Education England for all healthcare professionals. A link to the letter can be found at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/guidance-prescribing-cannabis-based-products-medicinal-use.pdf - To support research, the National Institute for Health Research has run two research calls for applications on medicinal cannabis for epilepsy. Following these a workshop was held in November 2019 including applicants, NHS England and NHS Improvement, the Department and other research experts on a study for treatment resistant paediatric epilepsy. We expect this to have significantly cut the time required to design a study and gain funding agreement; - Funding was fast-tracked by NHS England and NHS Improvement and was available from 6 January 2020 for patients who fulfil the criteria for the recently published NICE Technology Appraisals for the use of cannabidiol (Epidyolex) in conjunction with clobazam for adjuvant treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet Syndrome, two rare forms of refractory epilepsies. This will improve access to licensed cannabis-based products for appropriate patients; - A new Refractory Epilepsy Specialist Clinical Advisory Network was launched in February 2020. This offers timely and evidence-based specialist advice and guidance from a United Kingdom national expert panel to support local discussions in relation to the treatment of refractory epilepsy and suitability of cannabis-based medicines; and - A patient registry is being developed with input from specialist clinicians and other advisory bodies, to monitor patient outcomes. We have also changed the Government policy on imports to allow import of cannabis-based medicines in anticipation of prescriptions, since 9 March 2020. This aims to improve continuity of supply for those patients that have been prescribed these products.

NHS: Drugs

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps is his Department taking to prevent the NHS being overcharged for off-patent drugs.

Jo Churchill: The costs of branded medicines, whether they have patents on them or not, are controlled by the 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access and the statutory scheme for branded medicines.For unbranded generic medicines the Department relies on competition to keep prices down. This has led to some of the lowest prices in Europe and allows prices to react to the market. In an international market this ensures that when demand is high and supply is low, prices in the United Kingdom can increase to help secure the availability of medicines for UK patients. Concerns about potential drug pricing abuses are a matter for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Where it has concern about the price of a generic medicines, the Department asks the CMA to investigate that price. The CMA has several ongoing investigations into excessive prices of generic medicines.

Coronavirus: New Zealand

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions officials in his Department have had with health officials in the New Zealand Government on that country's approach to tackling covid-19; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 15 June 2020



The Department is regularly in discussions with other countries, including New Zealand, on a wide range of issues of issues relating to COVID-19 and has been throughout the pandemic. COVID-19 presents a global challenge which requires a collaborative response. The Department will continue to work with other countries throughout the crisis and beyond.

NHS: Drugs

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what percentage of exemptions and payment relief support through the 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access was invested in innovative new medicines in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 15 June 2020



The Department does not hold this information.

Exercise Cygnus: North West

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Exercise Cygnus that took place in 2016, what the key lessons learned from that exercise were for the preparedness of North West England to respond to a pandemic.

Jo Churchill: The Government has been extremely proactive in implementing lessons learnt around pandemic preparedness, including from Exercise Cygnus, to ensure that the United Kingdom remains well-prepared for infectious disease outbreaks. This includes being ready with legislative proposals and improving health sector plans to flex and expand systems beyond normal capacity levels.The lessons learned from Exercise Cygnus continue to be considered by the Government and have been shared with a range of stakeholders, including local emergency planners, in reviewing response plans. Local planners are responsible for identifying and implementing specific lessons which most affect their areas (such as the North West).

Hydroxychloroquine: Coronavirus

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what date the Government placed the orders for £5 million worth of hydroxychloroquine for the potential treatment of covid-19.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 15 June 2020



A number of contracts were awarded valued at £4.2 million (excluding VAT) for hydroxychloroquine between 11 March and 22 April 2020.

Contraceptives: Finance

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of funding for contraception since 2015.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 15 June 2020



No assessment has been made of trends in the level of funding for contraception.

Food: Allergies

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require a food producer, shop or supermarket to immediately inform the Food Standards Agency if a food they have made or sold has resulted in a serious allergic reaction by a customer.

Jo Churchill: Under Article 19 of Regulation (EC) 178/2002, food businesses have a legal responsibility to immediately withdraw and/or recall their food if it is not in compliance with food safety requirements and to notify the relevant local authority. Local authorities are responsible for enforcement of the requirements on provision of information on allergens.Food businesses must also immediately inform the local authority if it considers or has reason to believe that a food which it has placed on the market may be injurious to human health. The Food Standards Agency is not the enforcing authority for these incidents and therefore does not need to be informed directly by the food business.There is a requirement in the statutory Food Law Code of Practice for local authorities to notify the Food Standards Agency of a serious localised food hazard which includes hospitalisation or death as a result of allergens.

Carers: Protective Clothing

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the Government will give priority access to personal protective equipment to people providing unpaid care in (a) the City of Durham and (b) England.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 16 June 2020



The Government recognises the crucial role unpaid carers play, especially during this difficult period. The Department is currently working with Public Health England to review the advice to unpaid carers on use of personal protective equipment.On 8 April the Government published guidance for unpaid carers which provides general advice, including advice on infection control, links to other information and support, and advice on caring where someone has symptoms. This can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-providing-unpaid-careThe Government will continue to work closely with carer organisations and others to support unpaid carers during this period and beyond. This includes working with Carers UK to provide carers with practical advice which can be found at the following link:https://www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice/health/looking-after-your-health/coronavirus-covid-19

Diabetes: Coronavirus

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the evidence on the risks of covid-19 to people with diabetes.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 16 June 2020



NHS England and NHS Improvement have published a recent paper on type 1 and type 2 diabetes and COVID-19 related mortality in England which can be found on their website and accessed via the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/type-1-and-type-2-diabetes-and-covid-19-related-mortality-in-england/

Free School Meals: Fruit

Sir Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will undertake a review its decision to withdraw funding for the distribution of fruit with free school meals; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 17 June 2020



It was announced on 18 March that all schools in England would remain open only for a very limited number of pupils (children of key workers and vulnerable children) until further notice. At this time the Government made a decision to pause the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme (SFVS) so that as little fresh produce as possible would go to waste.In the Government’s ‘Our Plan to Rebuild’, published on 11 May, primary schools were asked to plan to welcome back nursery, reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils as of 1 June 2020. However, it was not possible to restart the SFVS from 1 June.The Department for Education and schools themselves are ensuring that children who attend school continue to receive healthy and nutritious food at school, as well as making provision to support families usually in receipt of free school meals and whose children are not attending school.

Parkinson's Disease: Mental Health Services

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to ensure people with Parkinson's can access psychological therapies during the covid-19 outbreak.

Ms Nadine Dorries: National Health Service mental health services have remained open for business throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, including delivering support digitally and over the phone where possible. In doing so, the NHS has been clear on the importance of maintaining face to face care for those patients who need it, and of patient choice in determining suitability for digital appointments.When delivering face to face appointments, mental health services are expected to follow the latest guidance on the use of personal protective equipment in healthcare settings to support infection prevention and control. Services will be further enabled by the roll out of the NHS Test and Trace service to reduce transmission risk and deliver face to face services in as safe a way as possible.

Parkinson's Disease: Mental Health Services

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has in place to ensure that mental health service providers are able to meet the demand for psychological services from people with Parkinson's who have not been able to access those services during the covid-19 outbreak.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The National Health Service has issued guidance to services to support them in managing demand and capacity across inpatient and community mental health services and keeping services open for business.There is broad consensus that there is the potential for an increase in demand and we are working with the NHS, Public Health England and other key partners to gather evidence and assess the potential longer-term mental health impacts and plan for how to support mental health and wellbeing throughout the ‘recovery’ phase.

Parkinson's Disease: Mental Health Services

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has in place to ensure that people with Parkinson's who do not have access to a digital device and have symptoms of dysarthria are able to access psychological therapies during the covid-19 outbreak.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, the National Health Service has been clear on the importance of maintaining face to face care for those patients who need it, and of patient choice in determining suitability for digital appointments.When delivering face to face appointments, mental health services are expected to follow the latest guidance on the use of personal protective equipment in healthcare settings to support infection prevention and control. Services will be further enabled by the roll out of the NHS Test and Trace service to reduce transmission risk and deliver face to face services in as safe a way as possible.

Parkinson's Disease: Mental Health Services

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has in place to support (a) carers and (b) family members of people with Parkinson's experiencing distressing hallucinations during the covid-19 outbreak.

Helen Whately: As set out in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline ‘Parkinson’s disease in adults’, published in July 2017, symptoms such as hallucinations are an increased risk for people taking some Parkinson’s disease medications. The guidance sets out that people with Parkinson’s disease should have a comprehensive care plan agreed between themselves, their family members and carers and specialist and secondary healthcare providers. Family members and carers (as appropriate) should be provided with information about the condition, their entitlement to a Carer’s Assessment and the support services available. Patients should be regularly reviewed and offered an accessible point of contact with specialist services. The guidance can be found at the following link:www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng71/resources/parkinsons-disease-in-adults-pdf-1837629189061As a result of COVID-19, digital and remote general practitioner consultations and outpatient appointments as means to support patients, where clinically appropriate, have become the norm across England. Providers have been rolling out remote consultations using video, telephone, email and text message services as a priority, including for those with neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease.Where digital and remote consultations are not possible, clinicians should carry out face to face consultations where necessary.

Parkinson's Disease: Mental Health Services

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support he is providing to (a) carers and (b) family members of people with (i) Parkinson's dementia and (ii) dementia with Lewy bodies who are experiencing greater levels of agitation in response to living in lockdown during the covid-19 outbreak.

Helen Whately: We recognise the crucial role that unpaid carers play in supporting people with conditions like dementia, especially during the pandemic.On 8 April we published COVID-19 guidance for unpaid carers on GOV.UK to support carers during the pandemic, which includes general advice on infection control and caring where someone has symptoms. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-providing-unpaid-careWe have commissioned research through the National Institute for Health Research on the best ways to mitigate the psychological and social impact of COVID-19 on people with dementia living in the community and their family carers. Work has already started with phased outputs to August 2020.

Coronavirus: Social Distancing

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the scientific evidence on the effect of social distancing in reducing the risk of covid-19 contagion.

Helen Whately: The Government has published the minutes of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) meetings and supporting documentation (scientific data and analysis used to inform SAGE discussions) and this can be accessed here at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies-sage-coronavirus-covid-19-responseSAGE provides scientific and technical advice to support Government decisions during emergencies and relies on external science advice and on advice from expert groups. During COVID-19 as new evidence or data emerges, SAGE updates its advice accordingly.The webpage will be updated on a regular basis and the latest available evidence will be published in the coming weeks that show how our understanding of the disease has evolved.

Coronavirus: Death

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will hold discussions with his Cabinet colleagues on establishing a remembrance event on Whitehall to mark the work of (a) doctors, (b) nurses and (c) people who lost their lives during the covid-19 outbreak.

Helen Whately: We are incredibly proud of the hard work and courage of health and care workers during the COVID-19 response. Officials from the Department are working with colleagues across Government to consider options to commemorate those who have lost their lives and to recognise the service of key workers across all sectors - including the National Health Service and social care.

Blood: Contamination

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 17 December 2014 to Question 218002 on monthly payments from MFET Ltd to people who contracted HIV through NHS treatment and the Answer of 7 January 2014 to Question 181908 on monthly payments through the Skipton Fund State 2 to people who contracted hepatitis C through NHS treatment, what estimate his Department has made of the average length of time for monthly payments to be made from the England Infected Blood Support Scheme to people affected by NHS contaminated blood products.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Government established the England Infected Blood Support Scheme (EIBSS) in 2017 to provide dedicated ex-gratia financial and non-financial support to people infected by HIV and/or hepatitis C through treatment with National Health Service-supplied blood or blood products, and their affected families. This scheme is currently administered by the NHS Business Services Authority.EIBSS provides tiered non-discretionary annual payments to eligible infected beneficiaries, based on their type and stage of infection (hepatitis C and/or HIV). The majority of beneficiaries opt for these payments to be split into monthly instalments.EIBSS aims to process new applications within 30 working days of receipt. Eligible beneficiaries’ payments are then transferred within 10 days after their application has been approved. These payments are backdated to the month that the beneficiary’s application was initially received by EIBSS.The Department hold EIBSS to account via monthly review meetings. EIBSS is required to maintain a key performance indicator of 90% around the time frame for processing new applications, which it has met.

Mental Health Services: Coronavirus

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the need for the provision of increased mental health support to (a) nurses, (b) doctors and (c) other NHS staff (i) during and (ii) after the covid-19 outbreak.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 22 June 2020



At the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, we recognised there would be a need for additional mental health support for all National Health Service staff. We commissioned NHS England to develop a comprehensive emotional, psychological and practical support package for all NHS staff in addition to existing support that is already available.NHS England and NHS Improvement launched the support package on 8 April 2020 and it includes a helpline and text service for counselling and support, a dedicated bereavement helpline, and a range of well-being apps. All the support available can be accessed via the following link:people.nhs.uk/help/The NHS is continuing to update the support available in this package, in line with the feedback they receive.

Mental Health Services: Finance

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 16 June 2020 to Question 55941, on Mental Health Services: Finance, how many mental health providers have been allocated funding from the £400 million capital investment announced by the Government since July 2017.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Government has announced £400 million of national capital for mental health schemes, on top of the day to day investments made by mental health trusts financed from their own income sources.Central funding allocation is provided to the National Health Service organisations undertaking the investments once the Full Business Case (FBC) has been approved and the construction contract is finalised. The funding allocations in place for the 16 schemes which have received FBC approval are listed in the attached table.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 20.88 KB)

NHS Trusts: Training

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what role his Department has in ensuring there is adequate mental health training for staff across all NHS trusts.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 22 June 2020



NHS England and NHS Improvement are supporting line managers, supervisors and teams to have psychologically informed conversations. They are also offering peer support training as well as a range of resources to help teams decompress and process their experiences. When National Health Service staff require additional professional support, they will be offered evidence-based treatment by trained and qualified mental health practitioners.Additional psychological support has also been made available for all NHS staff during and after COVID-19 response and can be accessed online at the following link:people.nhs.uk/helpNHS staff, frontline workers, and volunteers can now access a new psychological first aid training course developed by Public Health England and launched on 15 June 2020. There has been significant interest in the course; 8,700 learners have enrolled as of 17 June.

NHS: Recruitment

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many retired NHS (a) doctors and (b) nurses returned to work during the covid-19 outbreak.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 22 June 2020



Over 25,000 former doctors and nurses have come forward to assist the National Health Service during the COVID-19 outbreak. We are working with the regulators, NHS England and NHS Improvement and local employers to explore opportunities for those professionals who wish to permanently join the workforce.

NHSX: Public Appointments

Joanna Cherry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the membership of the Oversight Board of NHSX, chaired by Mark Gould.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Screening

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were tested for covid-19 on each day from 23 May 2020 to 19 June 2020.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Screening

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to resume publishing data on the number of people tested each day for covid-19.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Contact Tracing: Computer Software

Joanna Cherry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the governance arrangements are for the development of the NHS COVID-19 app.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Midwives: Age

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the age profile is of NHS midwives; and how many NHS midwives in each age category are (a) UK nationals and (b) nationals of an EU member state.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

General Practitioners: Ethnic Groups

Stephen  Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that BAME communities are able to access GP services during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services: Ethnic Groups

Stephen  Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that mental health service provision reaches BAME communities as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are lifted.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS Trusts: Coronavirus

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will allocate additional resources to NHS Trusts to help tackle the backlog of outpatient appointments, day care treatments and surgery that has resulted from the covid-19 outbreak; and what plans he has to tackle that backlog.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Protective Clothing: Prices

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle profiteering on the supply of personal protective equipment during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Protective Clothing: Prices

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of profiteering on the supply of personal protective equipment during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health Services: Immigrants

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the Prime Minister's announcement of 21 May 2020, on the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS workers will include the dependants of NHS workers.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Industrial Health and Safety: Coronavirus

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking with the Health & Safety Executive to ensure that (a) workplaces are safe as people return to work and (b) employers are being supported in adhering to new safety guidelines.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Contact Tracing: Computer Software

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what was the cost to the public purse of the development of the original centralised covid-19 contact-tracing app.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Contact Tracing: Computer Software

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which (a) companies and (b) other organisations received funding from the public purse to work on the Government's centralised coronavirus contact-tracing app.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Contact Tracing

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timeframe is for the Test and Trace regime to be fully operational.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Contact Tracing: Computer Software

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what lessons his Department learned from the development phase of the centralised coronavirus contact-tracing app; and which of those lessons were applied to the development of the Track and Trace app.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Air Pollution

Geraint Davies: Whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the report of the all-party group on air pollution entitled, Air Quality Strategy to Reduce Coronavirus Infection and its reference to Queen Mary University's research on the biological link between air pollution and coronavirus.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 23 June 2020



Long-term air pollution exposure is the leading environmental risk to human health. We are working with relevant experts to understand the relationship between air quality and increased risks from COVID-19 based on emerging science. This will be supported by the National Institute for Health Research and UK Research and Innovation joint open call for projects on mitigating the health, social, economic, cultural and environmental impacts of COVID-19.We note that there is emerging evidence suggesting an association between COVID-19 mortality and exposure to air pollution, but many of the emerging papers are, as yet, generally not peer-reviewed and are of variable quality. Currently, there is no clear evidence to suggest that air pollution has a direct link to the spread or severity of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom.  In April, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs initiated work to conduct detailed statistical analysis of the United Kingdom data, delivered in collaboration with the Department for Health and Social Care, Public Health England and the Office for National Statistics, and with input from the relevant Air Quality Expert Group and Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollution experts. The work will be published in due course. The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs continues to have extensive discussions with the Department for Health and Social Care and other departments on the relationship between air quality and health.

Department for International Development

Occupied Territories: Humanitarian Aid

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of recent reports by NGO Monitor that UK aid dispensed by the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs to support coronavirus relief efforts in the West Bank and Gaza has been sent to organisations with links to terrorism.

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with her international counterparts on reports by NGO Monitor that funds from the Covid-19 emergency response plan for the West Bank and Gaza have been allocated to NGOs with ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the implications for value for money of reports by NGO Monitor that UK aid distributed by the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs to support covid-19 relief efforts in the West Bank and Gaza has been allocated to organisations involved in political activism for the purpose of funding politically motivated letters and press releases.

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the implications for the efficacy of UK aid of reports by NGO Monitor that the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs has distributed funds for Covid-19 relief efforts to organisations that employ members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

James Cleverly: The UK maintains robust measures to ensure that UK aid is not diverted. DFID’s funding agreements also commit partners to understand and comply with UK and international counter terrorism legislation.No UK funds have been provided to the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs for COVID-19 relief efforts in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). The UK has provided £840,000 to WHO and UNICEF to help respond to COVID-19 in the OPTs. This funding did not go to any other partners and was used to purchase and co-ordinate the delivery of medical equipment, treat critical care patients, train frontline public health personnel and scale up laboratory testing capacity.

Nigeria: Agriculture

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will identify NGOs that are running effective reconciliation programmes between farmers and herders in Nigeria and allocate funding to them to support the capacity building of their programmes.

James Duddridge: We are deeply concerned by the ‎inter-communal violence in Nigeria and the devastating impact that this has had on affected communities, including heavy loss of life. We continue to call for a solution that meets the needs of all the communities affected. DFID is designing a programme to address natural resource conflicts between farmers and herders, which may include support to non-governmental organisations. We value the important role NGOs play in supporting affected communities in Nigeria, and we will continue to work alongside them where possible.Staff from the British High Commission in Abuja are actively engaged on the ground. The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, along with staff, visited Plateau State in December 2019 to further discuss the situation with the Governor, as well as Christian and Muslim faith leaders. They also met NGOs working on reconciliation to discuss the situation and the efforts they are taking to address it.

Israel: Palestinians

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2020 to Question 54900 on Israel: Palestinians, which other suppliers submitted proposals for that project at the design phase.

James Cleverly: No other suppliers submitted proposals for our people to people programme. DFID has a range of procurement options available when developing programmes. One of these is to award an Accountable Grant to a not-for-profit organisation, which is a non-competitive process. While many organisations are clearly performing excellent work in different fields of people to people work, Search for Common Ground (SFCG) approached DFID and proposed a comprehensive programme based on international best-practice. Based on our research, we judged that the SFCG proposal was the best fit for the outcomes that we wished to pursue, and therefore awarded SFCG an accountable grant to take the project forward.Having SFCG as the sole implementer also offered a cost-effective approach to managing the unique risks associated with the delivery of the people to people programme in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. SFCG delivered some activities directly and worked through partners in areas requiring specialist expertise.

Department for International Development: Renewable Energy

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many (a) solar panels and (b) wind turbines her Department's buildings (a) have in 2020 and (b) had in each of the last five years.

Nigel Adams: DFID has two Headquarter buildings in the UK: one at 22 Whitehall and the other at Abercrombie House, East Kilbride.Neither of the headquarter buildings have (a) solar panels nor (b) wind turbines.

Independent Commission for Aid Impact

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the Government's plans are for the Independent Commission for Aid Impact after the merger of her Department with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will be accountable to parliament for how it spends UK aid. We remain committed to full transparency in our aid spending and there will continue to be parliamentary and independent scrutiny of the aid budget – the form this takes following the merger will be set out in due course.

Department for International Development: Reorganisation

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with which civil society and development partners she held discussions on the potential merger of her Department with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office before the decision to merge the Departments was made.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Prime Minister has decided to merge the Department for International Development with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to form a new international department – the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The Government will continue to engage closely with interested stakeholders, including UK and international NGOs, in the weeks and months to come as we work to create the new department, which will unite our development expertise and first class diplomatic service to make the UK a greater force for good in the world.

Department for International Development: Reorganisation

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate her Department has made of the cost to the public purse of a potential loss in productivity as a result of combining her Department with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Government will implement the creation of the new Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office in the most cost-effective way possible. This is primarily about bringing together our international efforts so we can maximise the UK’s influence and positive impact around the world. By aligning our efforts, we will maximise our influence and expertise and ensure we are in the best position to confront the challenges that lie ahead. This will strengthen our ability to lead the world’s efforts to recover from the coronavirus pandemic and allow us to seize the opportunities ahead, as we prepare to take on the G7 presidency and host COP26 next year.

Yemen: Coronavirus

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will make representations to the World Health Organisation on publishing a detailed analysis of the covid 19 outbreak in Yemen.

James Cleverly: The World Health Organisation already works with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to produce regular analysis on the COVID-19 outbreak in Yemen. Their most recent update can be found online here: https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-covid-19-preparedness-and-response-snapshot-13-june-2020-enar.Additionally, my officials remain in close and regular contact with the World Health Organisation in Yemen to discuss the latest COVID-19 developments and ways of improving the humanitarian response.

Department for Education

Home Education: ICT

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2020 to Question 51606 on Home Education: Computers, how many (a) laptops, (b) tablets and (c) 4G wireless routers his Department has allocated to Wirral Council.

Nick Gibb: The Department has published information about how many laptops, tablets and 4G wireless routers we have delivered or dispatched to local authorities and academy trusts: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/laptops-tablets-and-4g-wireless-routers-progress-data.The Department is providing over 200,000 laptops and tablets to vulnerable and disadvantaged children who would otherwise not have access and are preparing for examinations in Year 10, receiving support from a social worker, including pre-school children, or are a care leaver.Where care leavers, children with a social worker at secondary school and disadvantaged children in Year 10 do not have internet connections, we are providing 4G wireless routers.Local authorities and academy trusts are best placed to identify and distribute the laptops and tablets to children and young people who need devices. In May, the Department invited local authorities to order devices for the most vulnerable children first - children with a social worker and care leavers.Earlier this month, the Department started inviting academy trusts and local authorities to order their devices for disadvantaged year 10 pupils. Thousands of devices continue to be delivered each day. Laptops and tablets will continue to be ordered and delivered throughout June.

Department for Education: Overseas Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the criteria his Department plans to use for prioritising Official Development Assistance spending in the event of a decrease in GNI.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department's share of the Official Development Assistance will be reduced in the event of a decrease in GNI.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department is signing new funding agreements for projects funded by Official Development Assistance.

Nick Gibb: The Department’s spending on official development assistance (ODA) primarily relates to the provision of education to child and unaccompanied child asylum seekers in the 12 months after they make an asylum claim in the UK. The ODA contribution is an estimate of how much of the wider core schools funding for England is allocated due to having these children on schools’ rolls. As such, our ODA spending in future years will be primarily dependent on the number of asylum seeker children arriving in the country.

Schools: Coronavirus

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether additional funding will be made available to schools to acquire additional space in which to teach appropriately distanced classes during the covid-19 outbreak.

Nick Gibb: From 1 June, primary schools have been able to welcome back children in nursery, reception, year 1 and year 6, alongside children of critical workers and vulnerable children. Each school’s circumstances will be slightly different. Any school that cannot achieve the small group sizes set out in the protective measures guidance for the current phase of wider opening should discuss options with their local authority or academy trust. If necessary, schools have the flexibility to focus first on continuing to provide places for priority groups and then, to support children’s early learning, schools should prioritise groups of children as follows:infant schools - nursery (where applicable) and receptionprimary schools - nursery (where applicable), reception and year 1.We know that in some schools, there will be capacity to welcome more children back, in group sizes of no more than 15, before the summer holidays. Primary schools have the flexibility to do this, but should only welcome back additional children where provision for eligible groups has already been made, and where they do not require additional funding, staff or classrooms to do so.We have published guidance on the additional funding we are providing to schools to cover unavoidable costs incurred due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak that cannot be met from their existing resources. The fund is targeted towards the costs we have identified as the biggest barrier to schools operating as they need to at this challenging time.The cost categories covered by the fund are clearly set out in the guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-financial-support-for-schools/school-funding-exceptional-costs-associated-with-coronavirus-covid-19-for-the-period-march-to-july-2020. These are: the increased premises-related costs of opening over school holidays; support for free school meals for eligible children who are not in school, where schools are not using the national voucher scheme; and additional cleaning costs relating to cases or suspected cases of coronavirus, above the cost of existing cleaning arrangements.

Students: Rented Housing

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance the Government is giving landlords of student accommodation on collecting rent on unoccupied accommodation.

Michelle Donelan: As both my right hon. Friends, the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer have made clear, the government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID-19.We expect universities to communicate clearly with residential students on rents for this period and to administer accommodation provision in a fair manner.While it is for universities and private accommodation providers to make their own decisions about charging rents to absent students, we encourage them to consider the fairness of doing so and to clearly communicate their policies to students. We are aware that a number of universities and large companies have waived rents for the summer term or released students early from their contracts.Students who are tenants with individual private landlords can discuss the possibility of an early release from their lease. If they face financial hardship and struggle to pay their rent, support is available: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/government-support-available-for-landlords-and-renters-reflecting-the-current-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak. In the first instance, a student should speak to their landlord if they think they will have difficulty meeting a rental payment, and in this unique context, tenants and landlords are encouraged to work together to put in place a rent payment scheme.Information published by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) gives guidance on the COVID-19 outbreak’s effects on consumer contracts and may be helpful to students, including those who have already paid deposits for accommodation: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cma-to-investigate-concerns-about-cancellation-policies-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic/the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic-consumer-contracts-cancellation-and-refunds.The guidance sets out the CMA’s view on how the law operates to help consumers understand their rights and to help businesses treat their customers fairly. Students may be entitled to refunds from certain accommodation providers depending on the terms of their contract and their particular circumstances. If students need help, organisations such as Citizens Advice offer a free service, providing information and support.If a student thinks their accommodation provider is treating them unfairly, they can raise a complaint under the accommodation codes of practice as long as their provider is a code member. The codes can be found at: https://www.thesac.org.uk/; https://www.unipol.org.uk/the-code/how-to-complain and https://www.rla.org.uk/about/nrla-code-of-practice.shtml.To support landlords who are experiencing a temporary loss of income, mortgage lenders have agreed to offer payment holidays of up to 3 months where this is needed due to COVID-19-related hardship, including for buy-to-let mortgages. On 2 June, the Financial Conduct Authority confirmed that borrowers can apply for an extension to any holiday already taken while extending the window for new applications to 31 October. Landlords should contact their lender at the earliest possible opportunity to discuss if the payment holiday is a suitable option for them.We have also amended the COVID-19 regulations to make clear that people who wish to move home can do so. Landlords can now advertise and let properties where they are empty or where the current tenants have agreed to move. Landlords are also encouraged to contact their local authority homelessness departments or private rented sector procurement team who can discuss renting their property to a homeless household, which may guarantee an income during this time.

Financial Services: Education

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on access to education, what steps he is taking to ensure that children are provided with the skills to (a) manage money effectively and (b) prepare them for making future financial decisions.

Nick Gibb: Financial education is taught within the national curriculum in maths and citizenship. The Department will continue to work closely with The Money and Pension Service and HM Treasury to consider how we can further support the teaching of financial education in schools.At present, due to the unprecedented challenges for schools caused by COVID-19, the Government understands that schools will need flexibility around the education they are providing to their pupils, both at home and at school. We expect schools and teachers to use their professional judgement, and knowledge of their pupils’ educational needs and home circumstances, to plan appropriate content that enables education to continue.These are rapidly developing circumstances; we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.

Higher Education: Coronavirus

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with representatives from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education in England on ensuring that universities maintain a high quality of education during the covid-19 pandemic.

Michelle Donelan: The department is working closely with the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) to ensure that higher education providers are given advice on the practical steps they can take to support students during the COVID-19 outbreak. The QAA has published a series of guides on how providers can maintain quality and standards. This guidance has been developed in consultation with the government, regulators and funders of higher education as well as sector representative bodies. We will remain in close contact with the QAA throughout the COVID-19 outbreak.

Higher Education: Coronavirus

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support students that are dissatisfied with the support provided by their university during the covid-19 outbreak; and what processes are in place for students to obtain a refund if that support has not met the guidelines set out by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.

Michelle Donelan: We welcome the series of guides which the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) has published to support providers to secure academic standards and to support student achievement during the outbreak.The government expects universities to continue delivering a high-quality academic experience and help students to achieve qualifications that they and employers value.We are working with the Office for Students (OfS) to make sure all reasonable steps are being taken to enable students to continue their studies to the best of their abilities. Where it is clear to the OfS that reasonable steps have not been taken by providers, the OfS has a range of sanctions at its disposal.The OfS has published guidance on student and consumer protection during the COVID-19 outbreak. This sets out that providers must make sure students can access complaints processes which are accessible, clear and fair.If students have concerns, they should first raise their concerns with their university. If their concerns remain unresolved, students at providers in England or Wales can ask the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education to consider their complaint.

Higher Education: Coronavirus

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of universities' response to the covid-19 outbreak.

Michelle Donelan: We are very proud and grateful for the leadership that we have seen from our higher education providers in the response to the COVID-19 outbreak, and the incredibly creative and pragmatic ideas they have managed to develop in such a short space of time.This sector is one of those at the frontline in the battle we are facing – from developing ground-breaking research and supplying equipment to releasing thousands of volunteers to support our NHS.We also know this has been a difficult and uncertain time for students, but we are working with the sector to make sure all reasonable efforts are being made to enable students to continue their studies. We have seen some fantastic and innovative examples of high-quality online teaching being delivered by providers across the country.Furthermore, for the next academic year, providers are planning for a blended approach where teaching is delivered through a mix of online and face-to-face provision, or a dual approach with face-to-face provision replicated online to support those who are unable to attend in person and to allow self-isolation as and when required as societal and personal circumstances change. This will ensure a high quality academic experience can be delivered for students during 2020-21.

Higher Education: Internet

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to support students that wish to defer their 2020-21 academic year as a result of their academic tuition potentially being taught in-part or fully online.

Michelle Donelan: There is no need for students to defer entry this year unless they want to.We understand this has been a difficult and uncertain time for students, but we are working with the sector to make sure all reasonable efforts are being made to enable students to continue their studies. We have seen some fantastic and innovative examples of high-quality online teaching being delivered by providers across the country.Furthermore, for the next academic year, providers are planning for a blended approach, where teaching is delivered through a mix of online and face-to-face provision, or a dual approach with face-to-face provision replicated online to support those who are unable to attend in person and to allow self-isolation as and when required as societal and personal circumstances change.If students do want to defer, it is a matter for individual providers and not the government, so students should speak to their providers directly to determine what flexibility exists.Given the exceptional circumstances, the government would encourage all providers to offer as much flexibility as possible for all students, whether they are international or domestic.

Higher Education: Coronavirus

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many refunds have been issued by universities to students who made complaints about the quality of tuition provided during the covid-19 pandemic.

Michelle Donelan: Higher education (HE) providers in England are independent and autonomous bodies. They are responsible for the management of their own internal affairs, complying with any relevant legislation and for addressing student complaints. As such, responsibility for handling student complaints in the first instance and offering redress, including refunds where they consider it appropriate, is a matter for the relevant HE provider. Regarding how many universities have offered refunds to students, this information is not held centrally. For students who exhaust the internal university procedures and remain dissatisfied with the final outcome, they can contact the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) for Higher Education. The OIA publishes an annual report each year which sets out the number and outcomes of complaints they received and closed as well as examples of complaints and the OIA’s recommendations.

Students: Finance

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding has been allocated by (a) his Department and (b) universities to support students during the (i) 2017-18, (ii) 2018-19 and (iii) 2019-20 academic year.

Michelle Donelan: In the academic year 2017/18, the total amount paid/awarded through the Student Loans Company to students domiciled in England and students domiciled in the EU and studying in England was £16.5 billion [1]. This included grants, allowances and tuition fee and maintenance loans. The equivalent figure for 2018/19 was £17.1 billion. Equivalent figures are not yet available for the 2019/20 academic year.The value of the government’s contribution via the Student Loans Company loans is contingent upon future repayments and interest rates.The Office for Students (OfS) is responsible for distributing funding to the sector on behalf of the Department for Education. While the OfS distributes funding to higher education providers based on the academic year, the department allocates funding based on the financial year.In the financial year 2017/18, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (the OfS’s predecessor) allocated £1.607 billion [2] in recurrent and capital teaching funding. The equivalent figures for 2018/19 and 2019/20 were £1.538 billion and £1.487 billion respectively. The 2019/20 allocation was published in February 2019.The teaching grant is allocated to providers to support various activities, including high-cost subject funding, where tuition fees alone do not cover the full costs of provision, and the costs of supporting students most at risk of discontinuing their studies.Information on the full range of financial support made available to students from their providers is not held by the department. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/student-support-for-higher-education-in-england-2019[2] https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/regulation/guidance-from-government/

Universities: Foreign Students

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the decrease in the number of international students starting at UK universities in the 2020-21 academic year.

Michelle Donelan: In the 2018/19 academic year, tuition fees from international students at UK higher education providers accounted for around £7 billion of sector income. The government recognises that the COVID-19 outbreak will have an unparalleled impact on all elements of the global and UK economy. The higher education sector, including student recruitment, is no exception. We have been working closely with the sector to monitor the likely impacts of COVID-19 on international student numbers, including restrictions on travel. We understand that the COVID-19 outbreak and a possible reduction in the number of international students poses significant challenges and we stand ready to help the sector with various mitigations.On Monday 4 May, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced the package of measures to stabilise university admissions this autumn and ensure sustainability in higher education at a time of unprecedented uncertainty. Full details of the package have been published on GOV.UK: www.gov.uk/government/news/government-support-package-for-universities-and-students.The government is also working to ensure that existing rules and regulations, including visa regulations, are as flexible as possible for international students under these unprecedented circumstances. For example, on 16 June, the government confirmed that distance/blended learning will be permitted for the 2020/21 academic year, provided students intend to transition to face-to-face learning as soon as circumstances allow. In addition, higher education providers will be flexible in accommodating applicants’ circumstances where possible, including if applicants are unable to travel to the UK in time for the start of the academic year.The new graduate route, due to be launched in summer 2021, provides an opportunity for international students who have been awarded their degree to stay and work in the UK at any skill level for 2 years. This week, the government also confirmed that those studying by distance/blended learning will be eligible to apply for the graduate route provided they are in the UK by 6 April 2021.On Friday 5 June, the Department for Education announced Sir Steve Smith as the International Education Champion, a key deliverable of the 2019 International Education Strategy. Sir Steve will assist with opening up export growth opportunities for the whole UK education sector, tackling international challenges such as those posed to attracting international students and forging lasting global connections. The International Education Strategy, published in March 2019 by the Department for Education and the Department for International Trade, set out a commitment to review progress following its publication.  The review, which we intend to publish this autumn, will ensure that the International Education Strategy responds to this new context and the challenges that are posed by COVID-19.

Children: Computers

James Wild: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his oral contribution of 9 June 2020, Official Report, column 180, how many laptops have been distributed to children in Norfolk.

James Wild: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will list for each Academy Trust in North West Norfolk (a) the date on which the Trust was invited to apply for digital devices for disadvantaged children under the scheme announced on 19 April 2020 and (b) the number of devices that have been delivered.

Nick Gibb: The Government has committed over £100 million to support vulnerable and disadvantaged children in England to access remote education and social care services, including by providing laptops, tablets and 4G wireless routers. We are providing laptops and tablets to disadvantaged children who would otherwise not have access and are preparing for examinations in Year 10, receiving support from a social worker or are a care leaver. Where care leavers, children with a social worker at secondary school and children in Year 10 do not have internet connections, we are providing 4G wireless routers. The Department has ordered over 200,000 laptops and tablets and allocated devices to local authorities and academy trusts based on its estimates of the number of eligible children that do not have access to a device. Local authorities and academy trusts are best placed to identify and prioritise children and young people who need devices. The Department is working to provide these devices in the shortest possible timeframe; deliveries to schools and local authorities began in May and will continue throughout June. So far we have shipped over 100,000 laptops and 20,000 4G routers, including 1,803 to Norfolk local authority for children with a social worker and care leavers. As a priority we will be delivering devices and connectivity to children with a social worker and care leavers. Social distancing presents a risk to the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable children since Children’s Social Care services have reduced face-to-face contact with families. This creates a need for remote safeguarding measures, but these are reliant on digital infrastructure which is not available in every household. Families that require Children’s Social Care services are put at a greater risk if they cannot be seen virtually and monitored by safeguarding services online. Vulnerable care leavers also risk social isolation and associated mental health problems. The Department has published information about how many laptops, tablets and 4G wireless routers we have delivered or dispatched to local authorities and academy trusts as of 14 June, which can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/laptops-tablets-and-4g-wireless-routers-progress-data.

Schools: Coronavirus

James Cartlidge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) teachers, (b) pupils and (c) other members of school staff who have been attending or working at school in England since 1 June 2020 have tested positive for covid-19 since that date.

Nick Gibb: Please note that the Department does not hold the information in the format required. The latest national data on pupil attendance in educational establishments since 23 March was published on Tuesday 16 June at the following link and covers data up to Thursday 11 June:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings.The data is collected from individual education establishments and the published figures include estimates for non-response.

Department for Education: Overseas Aid

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he last met the Secretary of State for International Development to discuss Official Development Assistance spending.

Nick Gibb: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education regularly meets with his Cabinet colleagues, including my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for International Development, to discuss a range of issues.

Children: Coronavirus

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on what basis the £1bn fund announced by the Prime Minister on 18 June 2020 to help children catch up on what they have missed while schools have been closed as a result of the covid-19 outbreak was determined.

Nick Gibb: Children and young people have experienced unprecedented disruption to their education during lockdown. We expect the most disadvantaged children to have fallen further behind than their peers. The Education Endowment Fund’s (EEF) median estimate suggests the attainment gap between children from economically deprived households and their peers could widen by 36% as a result of school closures [1]. The Government has therefore announced a package of support to ensure that schools have the support they need to help all children and young people make up for lost teaching time, with extra support in the form of a tutoring programme for those who need it most. This package of measures includes:A universal catch up premium for state-funded primary and secondary schools in England of £650 million to help them make up for lost teaching time.A new £350 million National Tutoring Programme for disadvantaged pupils. The evidence strongly shows that tutoring is an effective way to accelerate educational attainment. We therefore believe targeted tutoring is the best way to narrow the gaps that emerged during the closure of schools. To support schools to make best use of the catch up premium, the EEF has published a COVID-19 Recovery Guide for Schools with evidence-based approaches to catch-up for all students: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/public/files/Publications/Covid-19_Resources/Covid-19_support_guide_for_schools.pdf.  [1] https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/public/files/EEF_(2020)_-_Impact_of_School_Closures_on_the_Attainment_Gap.pdf



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Children: Coronavirus

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much and what proportion of the £1bn fund announced by the Prime Minister on 18 June 2020 to help children catch up on what they have missed while schools have been closed as a result of the covid-19 outbreak will be allocated to Halton.

Nick Gibb: The Government has announced a package of support worth £1 billion to ensure that schools have the support they need to help all children and young people make up for lost teaching time, with extra support in the form of a tutoring programme for those who need it most. This package of measures includes:A universal catch up premium for schools of £650 million to help them make up for lost teaching time.A new £350 million National Tutoring Programme for disadvantaged pupils. The universal catch up premium will be paid as a grant to all state-funded primary and secondary schools in England over the 2020/21 academic year. This premium will be in addition to schools’ core budgets for 2020-21. We will confirm the timetable for publishing institution-level allocations in due course.

Children: Coronavirus

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to provide support for pre-school children affected by the closure of nurseries during the covid -19 outbreak.

Vicky Ford: We know that young children have missed out on early education at a crucial period of cognitive and behavioural development. This is especially significant for vulnerable and disadvantaged children, which may widen the early development gap.The most effective intervention government can take to address this is to get children back into early education.Since 1 June, early years settings have been able to welcome back children of all ages. We want to ensure councils and early years providers can get children back into settings as quickly as possible, where they can be fully supported during this crucial period for their development.Fifteen hours of high quality free early education is provided for all three- and four-year olds and disadvantaged two-year olds. An additional fifteen hours (30 hours) is provided for eligible working parents for three- and four-year olds.We will work with the sector to explore how best to continue to support children’s early development, including through the department’s Hungry Little Minds campaign which we will use to continue to provide support for parents to develop their children’s early language and literacy.Information on the Hungry Little Minds campaign can be found at: https://hungrylittleminds.campaign.gov.uk.

Teaching Methods: Coronavirus

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate he has made of the number of tutors that (a) will be required and (b) are available in the 2020-21 academic year to help disadvantaged students catch up following the closure of schools as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Nick Gibb: As plans continue for a full return to education from September, we have announced a £1 billion Covid “catch-up” package to directly tackle the impact of lost teaching time.£650 million will be shared across state primary and secondary schools over the 2020/21 academic year. This one-off grant to support pupils recognises that all young people have lost time in education as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, regardless of their income or background.In addition, a National Tutoring Programme, worth £350 million, will increase access to high-quality tuition for the most disadvantaged young people. This will help accelerate their academic progress and prevent the gap between them and their more affluent peers widening.We are working closely with our delivery partners, including the Education Endowment Foundation, Sutton Trust, Impetus and Nesta, to roll out a programme that ensures we reach the maximum number of disadvantaged students possible while ensuring that tutors all meet a high quality bar.We will be supporting the highest quality tutoring organisations to increase their recruitment of tutors. Alongside this, we will be supporting a small number of schools in the most disadvantaged areas to directly employ tutors. We will be publishing more detail of the scheme shortly.This £1 billion package is on top of the £14.4 billion three-year funding settlement announced last year - recognising the additional work schools will need to do to help students to catch up.

Pupils: Coronavirus

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many headteachers he consulted in (a) Halton and (b) England on the resources required to help pupils catch up following the closure of schools as a result of covid-19 outbreak.

Nick Gibb: We have consulted with stakeholder groups across the sector. We have also conducted more than 300 social and user research interviews with school leaders, teachers and parents from schools across England and Wales to inform our response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Free School Meals: Voucher Schemes

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of his Department's initial decision not to implement the national voucher scheme during the 2020 school summer holiday on (a) BAME children and adults and (b) people with other protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010; and if he will place a copy of that assessment in the Library.

Vicky Ford: Owing to the COVID-19 outbreak, the government understands that children and parents face an entirely unprecedented situation over the summer. To reflect this, we will be providing additional funding for a Covid Summer Food Fund that will enable families with children who are eligible for free school meals to receive food vouchers covering the six-week holiday period. This is a specific measure to reflect the unique circumstances of the outbreak. As we have announced this provision will take place, we will not publish an assessment of any alternative scenarios.

Schools: Coronavirus

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of his Department's decision to reopen schools on 1 June 2020 following the covid-19 outbreak on (a) BAME children and adults and (b) people with other protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010; and if he will place a copy of that assessment in the Library.

Nick Gibb: When making decisions about asking schools to welcome back more children, we have had due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination and to advance equality of opportunities and foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not as required by section 149 of the Equality Act 2010. We continue to keep our assessment of those matters under review.In respect of BAME children and adults specifically, we continue to assess the emerging evidence, including Public Health England’s review into disparities in COVID-19 outcomes and the report on the impact of COVID-19 on BAME groups, and consider what this means for the education system.There is further work to do to understand the key drivers of these disparities and the relationships between the different risk factors. In the meantime, we continue to encourage schools to be particularly sensitive to the needs and concerns of BAME pupils, parents and carers, and staff, considering if any additional measure or reasonable adjustments may need to be put in place to mitigate those concerns.

Children: Ethnic Groups

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of the children who have continued to attend school during the covid-19 outbreak are from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children who have reattended school from 1 June 2020 following the covid-19 outbreak are from BAME backgrounds.

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of the staff who have continued to work onsite in schools during the covid-19 outbreak are from Black, Asian and minority ethic backgrounds.

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of staff working in schools since 1 June 2020 are from BAME backgrounds.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is not held centrally.

Children in Care: Coronavirus

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to issue revised guidance to local authorities on facilitating face to face contact between parents and looked after children during covid-19 restrictions.

Vicky Ford: Revised COVID-19 guidance for children’s social care services is currently being updated and is expected to be published by the end of June.

Free School Meals: Voucher Schemes

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to tackle delays in delivery of food vouchers through the free school meals scheme.

Vicky Ford: Since the launch of the free school meals voucher scheme, it has been upgraded and is working well for thousands of schools and families. Our supplier Edenred has indicated that orders are currently processed well within the 4-day period specified within our guidance to schools. Edenred has reported that over £169 million worth of voucher codes has been redeemed into supermarket e-gift cards by schools and families through the scheme as of Friday 19 June, and that over 17,500 schools had placed orders for the scheme.

Free School Meals: Voucher Schemes

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to increase the number of supermarkets where free school meal vouchers are redeemable; and if he will take steps to help ensure that those vouchers are redeemable at (a) Co-op, (b) Spar and (c) all other supermarkets.

Vicky Ford: During this period, we are asking schools to support children who are at home and eligible for and claiming benefits-related free school meals by providing meals or food parcels through their existing food providers wherever possible. We know that many schools are successfully delivering food parcels or arranging food collections for eligible children, and we encourage this approach where it is possible. However, we recognise that providing meals and food parcels is not a practicable option for all schools. That is why on 31 March, we launched a national voucher scheme as an alternative option, with costs covered by the department.The vouchers for free school meals can currently be spent in a variety of supermarkets. Initially, the scheme included supermarkets that already have e-gift card arrangements in place with our supplier, Edenred, including Asda, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons, M&S and Waitrose. On Monday 27 April, we added Aldi to this list and on Wednesday 29 April, we added McColl’s. We have been working with other supermarkets to encourage them to join. Any additional supermarkets would need to have the right infrastructure to deliver e-gift cards across their network of stores.Schools are best placed to make decisions about the most appropriate free school meal arrangements for eligible pupils during this period.As schools open more widely, and their kitchens reopen, we expect schools to make food parcels available for collection or delivery for any children that are eligible for free school meals who are staying at home.Where this is not possible, schools can use the national voucher scheme or make alternative voucher arrangements locally. Our guidance for schools sets out that they can be reimbursed for costs incurred where the national voucher scheme is not suitable for their families, and this can include alternative voucher arrangements with supermarkets that are not part of the national voucher scheme.

Free School Meals: Voucher Schemes

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he will take to ensure infants eligible for free school meals that receive vouchers under the universal infant free school meals will continue to receive those vouchers during summer holiday 2020.

Vicky Ford: Provision for free school meals is ordinarily term time only. However, owing to the COVID-19 outbreak, the government understands that children and parents face an entirely unprecedented situation over the summer. To reflect this, we will be providing additional funding for a COVID-19 Summer Food Fund which will enable children who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals to receive food vouchers covering the six-week holiday period. This is a specific measure to reflect the unique circumstances of the COVID-19 outbreak.Infant pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals will be eligible to receive vouchers as part of the COVID-19 Summer Food Fund. However, this provision is not available for children who receive universal infant free school meals and who are not eligible for benefits-related free school meals. It is right that we concentrate resources on those who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals at this time.

Higher Education: Finance

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what methodology his Department used to determine the values of a continuation rate of  ≥90% and a skilled employment/further study rate of ≥75% as minimum qualifying thresholds for higher education establishments to bid for funding for 5,000 non-health care places.

Michelle Donelan: The process for bidding for the additional 5,000 non healthcare places, the details of which were published on 1 June, is for one year only. The intention is that it is simple, competitive, and places minimal burden on higher education providers. The Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF) Year Four data was used, as it provides a comprehensive overview of quality measures for higher education providers in England, including continuation and high-skilled employment and further study metrics. It is publicly available and requires no additional aggregation or calculation, ensuring transparency. Other data sources are or will be available, but do not average across multiple years of data as is done in TEF. The combination of the continuation rate of ≥90 per cent and the skilled employment/further study rate of ≥75 per cent as minimum qualifying thresholds, ensures that the 5,000 places are awarded on a competitive basis, by restricting eligibility to only the top performing providers.The methodology used for student number controls more broadly, already allows for the substantial growth forecast by the sector, plus another 5%. This allows providers to increase their student numbers compared to previous years.

Higher Education: Finance

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason values of the continuation rate of ≥90 per cent and the skilled employment/further study rate of ≥75 per cent as minimum qualifying thresholds for higher education establishments to bid for funding for 5,000 non-health care places were chosen in place of indicators available from the Teaching Excellence Framework.

Michelle Donelan: The process for bidding for the additional 5,000 non healthcare places, the details of which were published 1 June, is for one year only. The intention is that it is simple, competitive and places minimal burden on higher education providers. The Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Year Four data was used, as it provides a comprehensive overview of quality measures for higher education providers in England, including continuation and high-skilled employment/further study metrics. It is publicly available and requires no additional aggregation or calculation, ensuring transparency. Other data sources are or will be available, but do not average across multiple years of data as is done in TEF. The combination of the continuation rate of ≥90 per cent and the skilled employment/further study rate of ≥75 per cent as minimum qualifying thresholds, ensures that the 5,000 places are awarded on a competitive basis, by restricting eligibility to only the top performing providers.The methodology used for student number controls more broadly, already allows for the substantial growth forecast by the sector, plus another 5%. This allows providers to increase their student numbers compared to previous years.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Coronavirus

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice,  how many and what proportion of prison staff (a) in administrative grades or (b) employed as instructional officers are currently (i) working remotely, (ii) shielding, or (iii) attending prison establishments, by grade; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: The vast majority of operational staff in prisons continue to attend the workplace – for these staff we are providing Personal Protective Equipment where appropriate.We are unable to provide data on the total number of prison staff working remotely as this data is collected by exception. However, we are able to provide the number of staff who are working from home and are unable fulfil all of their usual duties outside of their usual place of work for Covid-19 related reasons. We are also able to provide what data we do have as a proportion of our overall headcount of staff.Of those, and as of 12 June, the number and proportion of public sector prison staff in administrative grades and employed as instructional officers working remotely or not working are as below: Working from homeNot working(a) in administrative grades190%3367%(b) instructional officers (excludes vocational instructors)~0%988%We do not hold information centrally on the number and proportion of prison staff who are shielding.Data Sources & QualitySource: HMPPS COVID-19 absences data collectionThe symbol ~ denotes suppressed values of 3 or fewer (and totals that would allow values of 3 or fewer to be calculated) to avoid the risk of identifying individuals.Excludes staff who have been reported absent from work but it is not clear if the staff member continues to work remotely or not.These figures have been drawn from the HMPPS COVID-19 data collection. Care is taken when processing and analysing returns but the detail is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. Although shown to the last case, the figures may not be accurate to that level. This data has been self-reported and has not yet been checked against our central databases

Gambling: Crime

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people are in custody for acquisitive crimes associated with gambling addiction.

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people are in custody on (a) remand and (b) as a result of a conviction for acquisitive crimes associated with gambling addiction.

Alex Chalk: In answering these questions we have interpreted people who are in custody for acquisitive crimes associated with gambling addiction as people who are in custody for these crimes because of their gambling addiction.It has not been possible to estimate the numbers of people who are in custody for acquisitive crimes because of their gambling addiction, and the numbers of people who are remanded in custody post-conviction for these crimes, because this specific data could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost to the department.

Justice and Security Act 2013

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has appointed a reviewer to undertake the review of the operation of sections 6 to 11 of the Justice and Security Act 2013, as required by section 13 of that Act.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to announce the review of the operation of sections 6 to 11 of the Justice and Security Act 2013, as required by section 13 of that Act to be begun as soon as reasonably practicable five years after section 6 of that Act came into force in 2013.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he will accord the review of sections 6 to 11 of the Justice and Security Act 2013 the status of a full public consultation.

Alex Chalk: I can advise that discussions are still ongoing and an announcement will be made in due course.

Administration of Justice: Ethnic Groups

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans to review racial inequalities in access to justice.

Alex Chalk: Access to justice is a fundamental right and one which this government is committed to protecting. We want people to have confidence in a justice system that is fair, open and accessible– one where no person faces discrimination and access to justice is available for all.We undertake equalities assessments of the direct and indirect impact on racial inequality of policy changes we bring forward relating to access to justice, in line with our duties under the Equality Act 2010. In addition, we engage with stakeholders who represent particular communities to ensure our policy development remains alive to issues raised.In response to the Lammy Review we have already committed to embedding a programme of work to address racial disparity within the Criminal Justice System, and we remain committed to addresses inequalities across the justice system, including in relation to access to justice.

Prisoners' Release: Coronavirus

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June to Question 54062, how much funding is being made available to support the Government’s provision of accommodation for individuals released from prison who are at risk of homelessness.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice has secured up to £8.5 million to support individuals at risk of homelessness on their release from prison for up to eight weeks and help to move on into permanent accommodation. This scheme was originally due to run until 26th June. We have recently undertaken a first review and, following this, have extended the scheme until 31 July.This project will help ensure vulnerable ex-offenders at risk of homelessness will get the vital support they need to stay safe during the Covid-19 period and find suitable accommodation and continue their rehabilitation during the pandemic. This will help improve outcomes for ex-offenders and increase the chances of seeing fewer victims of crime in the future.

Prisoners: GCE A-level and GCSE

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to to provide (a) examinations and (b) assessments in the next three months for registered prison learners studying at (i) GCSE and (ii) A level (A) in prison education departments and (B) via distance learning.

Lucy Frazer: In accordance with advice from Public Health England (PHE) and in order to keep all staff and prisoners safe, temporary measures have been introduced during the pandemic to restrict prison regimes and cease all non-essential activities involving groups of people. This includes education. We have, however, been working hard to maintain education service delivery across the prison estate. Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) and Prison Education Framework (PEF) providers have worked to provide in cell activity, distraction material and learning packs for as many prisoners as possible. We will work with providers to resume education in accordance with advice from PHE over the coming months.We have also been working with the Open University (OU) to enable the continuation of distance learning in prisons. Processes are in place to ensure that prisoners obtain learning materials and that assignments are returned to the OU for assessment.With regard to the youth secure estate the Youth Custody Service (YCS) is continuously assessing the situation, and is keen to expand the regime as soon as it is safe and sustainable to do so. Whilst this will not be immediate, the YCS are looking to restarting particular aspects of regime over the coming weeks and months, including increased education, in a safe and managed approach whilst noting the latest available guidance.The recently published recovery framework for prisons outlines how services (including education) will start to recover from the restrictions imposed in response to COVID-19 in prisons, and how these restrictions can be cautiously rolled back over the coming weeks and months. The Framework was published on GOV.UK and can be accessed via the following link;https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-national-framework-for-prison-regimes-and-services

Community Orders

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many breaches of community orders imposed by (a) youth, (b) family, and (c) all courts have (i) been processed and (i) are outstanding since 23 March 2020.

Chris Philp: We cannot provide information from the beginning of 2020, as that information forms a subset of the Criminal Justice Statistics data that is part of Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ) National Statistics output, which will be published later in 2020 (quarter 1 2020 is due for publication in August 2020) in line with the Code of Practice for statistics.The COVID-19 pandemic has caused MoJ to change its data gathering, access and release practices, focusing efforts on priority analysis and statistics. Their statement explains this further.

Department for International Trade

Agriculture: Exports

Simon Baynes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to promote UK agriculture exports.

Graham Stuart: Our food and drink sector is vital to our economy. In 2019, exports increased by nearly 5% to £23.7bn.We want to see this success continue and on 22 June we launched, with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, a ‘Bounce Back’ package which includes facilitated UKEF access for SMEs and export masterclasses and webinars. This package of focused activity will further boost our trade efforts for the agricultural sector and prepare for the new opportunities presented by our future Free Trade Agreements.

Trade Agreements: Coronavirus

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of using digital platforms to progress trade negotiations during the covid-19 pandemic.

Greg Hands: This Government aims to agree Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with countries accounting for 80% of current UK trade within the next three years. We have used digital platforms to launch our negotiation programme with the priority countries of the USA, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. These negotiations are now proceeding at pace on a remote basis mirroring the long-established structures for engagement on trade.

Trade Agreements: Food

Darren Henry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to ensure that UK food standards will not be lowered as part of future trade deals.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: HM Government has made it clear that any future trade deals must work for British consumers, farmers and companies. We are proud of our high standards in food safety and these will not be weakened. High standards and high quality are what our domestic and global customers demand, and that is what we will provide.It is vital that we explore new trading opportunities, but these should not mean a dilution of the standards for which British food is world-renowned. The EU Withdrawal Act transfers all existing EU food safety provisions on to the statute book and we remain firmly committed to upholding our high food safety standards.

Uk Export Finance: Arms Trade

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what processes her Department has put in place to monitor UK Export Finance's distribution of the £1 billion fund allocated to support overseas buyers of UK defence and security goods and services.

Graham Stuart: In the March 2020 budget, UK Export Finance (UKEF) was allocated £1 billion of direct lending capacity for defence and security projects, within its £8 billion overall direct lending capacity. This £1 billion of direct lending is subject to the same monitoring processes as UKEF’s overall direct lending facility.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Private Rented Housing

Darren Henry: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department has provided for the (a) letting and (b) management of houses in multiple occupation in the private rented sector.

Christopher Pincher: The Government has produced a raft of guidance on the letting and management of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).Our guidance for landlords and tenants on their rights and responsibilities sets out what makes a property an HMO, which HMOs require licences, how to apply for a licence and the legal obligations landlords and agents have. This can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/landlord-and-tenant-rights-and-responsibilities-in-the-private-rented-sector.Further guidance for landlords and managing agents on how to apply for an HMO licence can be found at https://www.gov.uk/house-in-multiple-occupation-licence.Landlords can also consult our specific guidance for tenants on HMOs, which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/private-renting/houses-in-multiple-occupation.Landlords may also be interested in our guidance on HMO licence reform for local authorities, which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/houses-in-multiple-occupation-and-residential-property-licensing-reform-guidance-for-local-housing-authorities.We’ve also produced guidance for landlords, tenants and local authorities in the private and social rented sectors in the context of COVID-19. This guidance covers shared homes including HMOs and can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-and-renting-guidance-for-landlords-tenants-and-local-authorities.

Domestic Abuse: Hotels

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department will allocate funding to the provision of empty hotel rooms to house people fleeing domestic abuse during the covid-19 outbreak.

Luke Hall: On 5 June my Department announced the allocation of £8.15 million funding to 147 refuge charities through 103 successful bids as part of the £10 million MHCLG Domestic Abuse Emergency Support Fund. This funding will re-open bedspaces which are currently closed due to COVID-19, as well as creating 1210 more bedspaces to support more victims of domestic abuse. The remaining £1.85 million of the Fund has been reopened for applications. This will enable refuge charities to continue to respond during the crisis.My Department have also put in place a system to enable local authorities who need additional accommodation to meet demand during the pandemic to book rooms for domestic abuse victims through Crown Commercial Services.An additional £3.2 billion has been provided to support councils in responding to the coronavirus pandemic, including supporting vulnerable people.

Reopening High Streets Safely Fund

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2020 to Question 59479, on Reopening High Streets Safely Fund, what assessment his Department has made of the compatibility of the criteria of the Re-opening High Streets Safely Fund with the Equality Act 2010.

Mr Simon Clarke: Holding answer received on 24 June 2020



The public sector equality duty is complied with at programme level for the European Regional Development Fund in England. This compliance applies to all projects funded by the programme, including the Reopening High Streets Safely Fund (RHSSF). Local authorities will be subject to that duty in delivering this additional targeted funding. The RHSSF is targeted at specific ERDF programme priorities, and is not designed to fund all of the activities covered by the Safer Public Places guidance published on 13 May.

Business Improvement Districts: Coronavirus

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities acting as billing authorities in Business Improvement Districts that wish to (a) suspend, (b) alter and (c) reduce that levy during the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Local Government Act 2003, if he will take steps to enable local authorities to (a) waive, (b) cancel and (c) discount levies in relation to Business Improvement Districts.

Mr Simon Clarke: Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) have a significant role to play in high street regeneration and will be even more important in the recovery from the current crisis.That is why Government has introduced up to £6.1 million in funding. The funding is intended to cover the equivalent of three months’ of core operational costs and is based on a fair percentage of a BID's levy income from each BID’s operating year ending in 2019/20.My department undertook a light-touch information gathering exercise to collect information needed from local authorities to prepare and process the section 31 grants. Following this information gathering exercise, the first batch of grant payments to 70 local authorities were paid out early in the week commencing 2 June. Other batches will follow shortly.All local authorities who have submitted information to us by the initial deadline of 15 May should receive funding this month. We will provide funding to others as soon as possible.We have encouraged local authorities to be pragmatic in the collection of BID levies while acknowledging that they have a statutory obligation to issue the BID levy invoices. The BIDs support funding will enable authorities to take a more flexible approach to the collection of BID levies at this difficult time for many businesses.This funding is in addition to passing legislation which enables BIDs to extend the maximum duration of their BID arrangements until 31 March 2021. This allows businesses to focus on recovery from economic shock before deciding whether to participate in BID arrangements for the following 5-year period, and allows BIDs to coordinate their places’ recoveryWe will continue to work closely with the sector to look at how further we can support BIDs, and the businesses that contribute to them, during this time.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Overseas Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the criteria his Department plans to use for prioritising Official Development Assistance spending in the event of a decrease in GNI.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence's Official Development Assistance spend is already reducing where some planned activity cannot be delivered during the current pandemic. Should it be necessary to make further reductions, we will protect those programmes which have the greatest impact on development objectives.

Ministry of Defence: Overseas Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department's share of the Official Development Assistance will be reduced in the event of a decrease in GNI.

James Heappey: The UK has a legal commitment to spend 0.7% of its gross national income each year on Official Development Assistance (ODA). ODA budgetary allocations to Departments are decided by HM Treasury.

Ministry of Defence: Overseas Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department is signing new funding agreements for projects from the Official Development Assistance budget.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence's (MOD) Official Development Assistance programmes are delivered primarily using MOD assets and personnel, and do not involve funding agreements with external delivery partners.

Royal Navy Museum: Coronavirus

Stephen  Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what date his Department plans to issue further information to the National Museum of the Royal Navy, Portsmouth on the provision of funding support during the covid-19 outbreak.

Stephen  Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with his Department regarding cash-flow during the covid-19 outbreak at the National Museum of the Royal Navy, Portsmouth.

Johnny Mercer: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has been liaising with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to consider appropriate support for the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) during the COVID-19 pandemic and to assist with its recovery once visitors are able to return. The MOD has provided the NMRN with an advance of Grant in Aid as immediate assistance and is working with the museum to explore additional emergency funding options.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme backdated to 1 March 2020 will trigger universal credit over-payments for additional income for claimants encouraged to claim that benefit until the scheme is available.

Mims Davies: Holding answer received on 15 May 2020



Universal Credit takes into account any income received for the relevant assessment period (AP). In terms of the Self-employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS), the department has agreed that this will not be applied retrospectively to previous APs.

Children: Maintenance

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the amount of child maintenance arrears is in Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency.

Mims Davies: The total amount of arrears for Child Maintenance Service as of December 2019 in Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency is £599,000. New Compliance and Arrears powers which came in July 2019 have increased the departments enforcement powers, such as removal of driving licence to encourage parent to cooperate and pay the maintenance they owe. As a result, as at November 2019 the compliance in overall Child Maintenance Service payments increased to an all-time high of 90.2%.

Bereavement Support Payment

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will extend the Bereavement Support Payment scheme to cover the deaths of parents who were living together or had children together in order to provide support for the remaining partner and their children.

Mims Davies: It is a key principle that all rights to inheritable benefits derived from another person’s contributions, such as Bereavement Support Payment, should be based on the concept of a legal marriage or civil partnership. However, on 7 February the High Court ruled that the higher rate of Bereavement Support Payment (which is paid to those with children) to be incompatible with the ECHR in that it is only payable where the survivor was married to, or in a civil partnership with the deceased. Whilst this ruling does not change the current legislation, we are carefully considering what to do in response to this judgement.

Debts: Coronavirus

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the implications for her policies of the report entitled, Coronavirus and personal debt: a financial recovery strategy for households published by Stepchange in June 2020; and if she will make a statement.

Will Quince: The Government notes this report and contents. It has introduced a suite of measures that can be quickly and effectively operationalised which benefit those facing the most financial disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes, part of an injection to welfare worth over £6.5bn, include:making it easier to access benefits. Those applying for Contributory Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) who may have coronavirus, are self-isolating, or caring for a child (or qualifying young person) who falls into either of those categories, or individuals who have been advised to ’shield’ because they are at high risk of severe illness, will be entitled from day 1 of their claim – as opposed to day 8 - and we have removed the need for face-to-face assessment. Both Universal Credit (UC) and ESA can now be claimed by phone or online;increasing the standard allowance of UC by up to £1,040 this year;temporarily relaxing the application of the Minimum Income Floor for all self-employed claimants;making Statutory Sick Pay available from day 1 – as opposed to day 4 - where an eligible individual is sick or self-isolating; andincreasing in the Local Housing Allowance rates for UC and Housing Benefit claimants so that it covers the lowest 30% of local market rents – which is on average £600 in people’s pockets.These measures, along with the other job and business support programmes announced by the Chancellor, represent one of the most comprehensive packages of support by an advanced economy.

Children: Maintenance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many single parents have seen their child maintenance payments reduced as a result of the paying parent making a new claim for universal credit since March 2020.

Mims Davies: We do hold summarised information on number of Change of Circumstances requests for Child Maintenance payments.

Children: Maintenance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many single parents have not received at least one child maintenance payment from the paying parent since the service paused chasing missed payments.

Mims Davies: The number of Parents due to pay via Collect and Pay who have paid not any maintenance each month is published quarterly. The latest figures for Child Maintenance Service are up to December 2019 and can be found in Table 9 at the link below. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-maintenance-service-statistics-data-to-december-2019-experimental The number of Parents due to pay via Collect and Pay who have not paid maintenance since 1 April 2020 will not be available until the publication in September 2020.

Children: Maintenance

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect of delays by the Child Maintenance Service in pursuing payments for resident parents during the covid-19 outbreak.

Mims Davies: Holding answer received on 16 June 2020



The Government recognises that the income of many separated parents is being impacted by the public health emergency and some receiving parents may receive less maintenance as a result of a paying parent’s drop in income. Paying parents are still expected to pay child maintenance throughout this period. Our priority is to maintain the flow of maintenance that is currently being paid, by easing the financial pressure on paying parents and ensuring that we transfer the payments as quickly as possible to receiving parents. In order to ensure that receiving parents do not lose out in the long run, we will update calculations as soon as possible and collect any unpaid amounts that may have accrued. The small minority who might be found to be abusing the system at this difficult time could potentially find themselves subject to the full extent of our enforcement powers once the emergency passes. Measures have been introduced to support both paying and receiving parents, whose income drops as a result of the public health emergency. These include increasing the standard rate of Universal Credit and working tax credit for this year by over £1000 per year, benefiting over 4 million of the most vulnerable households. We have also increased the Local Housing Allowance rates for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit claimants so that it covers the cheapest third of local rents – which is on average £600 in people’s pockets.

Wind Power: Coronavirus

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the (a) content and (b) availability of covid-19 workplace safety guidance for (i) employers and (ii) staff in the offshore wind industry; and when she last discussed that matter with that industry's representatives.

Mims Davies: On 24th March 2020, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) wrote to the offshore wind industry reminding employers of their legal duty to ensure the health and safety of their workforce. The letter also directed duty holders to the more detailed social distancing guidelines on the Public Health England, Health Protection Scotland and Public Health Wales websites. On 26th March 2020, HSE met virtually with representatives of major industry duty holders and trade associations to discuss how the industry would comply with social distancing requirements. On 1st April 2020 the Renewable Energy Emergency Response Forum (“REEF”) held a meeting at which HSE, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the Police and industry representatives agreed that each duty holder would develop their own arrangements to comply with their duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, based on the above mentioned social distancing guidelines. Since then, HSE continues to contact offshore wind farm duty holders to check that they have suitable COVID-19 risk control measures in place.

Bereavement Support Payment: Appeals

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many bereavement support payment decisions were (a) appealed and (b) overturned at appeal in each year since its introduction.

Mims Davies: The type and volume of tribunal cases received and disposed of are published quarterly by the Ministry of Justice here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics

Bereavement Support Payment

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many bereavement support payment claims were made more than three months after the related death, in each year since its introduction.

Mims Davies: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Department for Work and Pensions: Overseas Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish the criteria her Department plans to use for prioritising Official Development Assistance spending in the event of a decrease in GNI.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department's share of the Official Development Assistance will be reduced in the event of a decrease in GNI.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department is signing new funding agreements for projects from the Official Development Assistance budget.

Justin Tomlinson: The UK has a legal commitment to spend 0.7% of its gross national income (GNI) each year on Official Development Assistance (ODA). HM Treasury allocates ODA budgets to departments and is responsible for decisions on changes to these.

Universal Credit

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to extend easements on work search requirements for claimants of universal credit after 30 June 2020.

Mims Davies: We made the decision to temporarily suspend the requirement for face-to-face Jobcentre Plus appointments for all claimants in Universal Credit, New Style Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), old-style JSA and ESA, and Income Support. Arrangements after the 30th June will be communicated in due course.

State Retirement Pensions: Coronavirus

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing the level of the state pension as a result of the financial difficulties faced by pensioners during the covid-19 outbreak.

Guy Opperman: The Government remains committed to providing dignity and security in retirement to all pensioners. In April 2020, full amounts of the basic and new State Pensions increased by 3.9%, in line with average earnings growth. This was the highest increase since 2012. The full yearly amount of the basic State Pension is worth around £700 more in 2020/21 than if it had been uprated by earnings since 2010. That is over £1,900 in cash terms. Pension Credit provides a safety net for people of State Pension age most in need. It provides a top up for people with a weekly income below £173.75 (for single people) or £265.20 (for couples). On 6th May we introduced an online claim process for Pension Credit in addition to the existing ways of claiming by telephone and by post, making it quicker and easier for people to apply.

Food Poverty

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to end food poverty for adults.

Will Quince: This Government’s current focus is on supporting people whose finances have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition to the £5billion increase in benefit rates from April 2020, we have injected more than £6.5 billion into the welfare system, increasing Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit by over £1,000 for this financial year, benefiting over four million of the most vulnerable households. We have also increased Local Housing Allowance rates - putting an average of £600 into people’s pockets. For those who find themselves in severe financial difficulties, the Prime Minister has announced over £60 million for local authorities in England to support local welfare assistance programmes. In addition, on 8 May, the Government announced funding of up to £16 million for charities to provide millions of meals over a 12-week period; this includes the £3.5 million Food Charities Grant Fund to support charities with grants of up to £100,000 so they can continue to provide food to vulnerable people. Our long-term ambition remains to build an economy that will support work, and ensure that everyone have opportunities to enter and progress in work, where possible. There is clear evidence of the important role of work in tackling all forms of poverty; in 2018/19, working age adults in households where all adults were in work were 6 times less likely to be in absolute poverty (after housing costs) than adults in a household where nobody works.

Unemployment: Slough

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to reduce the level of unemployment in the Slough constituency as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Mims Davies: Holding answer received on 22 June 2020



Slough Jobcentre plus has continued to support the local community during the Covid-19 outbreak. This includes working with partner and provider organisations such as the National Careers Service to host virtual job fairs, promote traineeships, support the development of skills, and actively promote vacancies. There is an increased social media presence to support claimants digitally as well as the exploration of utilising existing funding streams to support customers, such as the Flexible Support Fund. DWP have developed and launched two new websites, Job Help and Employer Help, that directly link to Find a Job. These sites promote a range of guidance and advice supporting decisions on identifying transferrable skills, promoting opportunities of seeking alternative roles or working in different sectors of the economy. Find a Job is a central place for employers to post their vacancies and for job seekers to look for work.

Local Housing Allowance: Coronavirus

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of raising the local housing allowance to the fiftieth percentile to support renters during the outbreak of covid-19.

Will Quince: We increased Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of local rents, providing additional financial support for private renters, further to lobbying from homeless charities. This significant investment of almost £1 billion, ensures over 1 million households will see an increase, on average, of £600 per year. For renters whose circumstances mean they may require more support, Discretionary Housing Payments are also available. We have already provided £180m in Discretionary Housing Payment funding to local authorities to support vulnerable claimants with housing costs in the private and social rented sector in England and Wales for 2020/21. This includes an extra £40m announced at the spending round.

Jobcentres: Staff

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many additional work coaches she plans to recruit by September 2020.

Mims Davies: The Department is continually assessing the service being offered to customers and we continue to keep staff numbers under review as part of our response to the impact of COVID-19 on the labour market.

Children: Maintenance

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of guaranteeing a minimum child maintenance payment during the covid-19 outbreak.

Mims Davies: There is no plan for any such assessment, the purpose of the Child Maintenance Service is to facilitate the payment of child maintenance between separated parents. No one should use the pandemic as an excuse to avoid their child maintenance payments. Where paying parents experience a change in income, we can review their case and check if the amount paid should change. If it does not, they should continue to make payments.We know the majority of parents take their responsibilities extremely seriously and will do what is needed to ensure their children are supported.

Children: Maintenance

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps is the Child Maintenance Service taking to assess the finances of parents claiming they cannot pay due to the covid-19 outbreak.

Mims Davies: No one should use this time as an excuse to avoid their child maintenance payments. However, where paying parents experience a change in income, we can review their case and check if the amount paid should change. If it does not, they should continue to make payments. No one will get away with giving false information and those abusing the system will find themselves subject to the full extent of our enforcement powers.

Child Maintenance Service: Coronavirus

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will place in the Library any guidance or training materials that were issued by her Department to the Child Maintenance Service on how to manage changes in procedure in response to the covid-19 outbreak where domestic abuse was a factor.

Mims Davies: All CMS staff are trained in how to support women who disclose domestic abuse and have access to The Domestic Abuse Plan which guides caseworkers through the appropriate action to take to help safeguard vulnerable women.There are currently no plans to place Child Maintenance Service guidance or training materials in the Library.

Child Maintenance Service

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training is provided to staff at the Child Maintenance Service on domestic abuse.

Mims Davies: All CMS staff are trained in how to support women who disclose domestic abuse and have access to The Domestic Abuse Plan which guides caseworkers through the appropriate action to take to help safeguard vulnerable women..Additionally, earlier this year we introduced a bespoke Domestic Abuse Awareness training course that was developed with Women’s Aid and has been delivered for our staff across the country.

Health and Safety Executive: Finance

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether additional funding has been allocated to the Health & Safety Executive to increase the Executive's level of staffing during the covid-19 outbreak.

Mims Davies: I refer the hon. member to my response to question 41525.

Future Jobs Fund: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of a future jobs fund to assist with job creation in (a) Tameside and (b) Stockport.

Mims Davies: DWP is engaging cross-government to understand supply & demand across the labour market throughout and beyond the COVID-19 crisis. We are in discussions with other Government Departments and a range of stakeholders to explore all options to ensure the right support is in place for individuals who have been adversely impacted by COVID that will meet the needs of the individual as well as local priorities.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of married women (a) entitled to and (b) in receipt of a state pension through the National Insurance contributions of a their (i) husband, (ii) late husband or (ii) ex husband; and if she will make a statement.

Guy Opperman: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

State Retirement Pensions

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether (a) members of civil partnerships and (b) members of same sex marriages are able to claim a Category BL pension based on the contributions of a civil partner or spouse; and if she will make a statement.

Guy Opperman: Civil Partners and those in same sex marriages, who reach State Pension age before 6 April 2016, can derive entitlement to a Category BL basic State Pension if they fall into one of two groups. Either, they have no entitlement to basic State Pension based on their National Insurance contributions, or they get a basic State Pension of less than £80.45 per week (in 2020/21). In all cases, their spouse or civil partner must have been born on or after 6 April 1950.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agriculture: Coronavirus

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing further ongoing long-term support for agriculture on a similar basis to the scheme for the dairy industry announced on 6 May 2020.

Victoria Prentis: The Government wants a profitable and resilient farming sector. We will always champion our farmers and growers by supporting them to produce more of our great British food and drink, providing a reliable and sustainable food supply to the British public. The Agriculture Bill provides the legislative basis for a transition from old-style subsidies to investment in a more productive and sustainable farming sector. The Bill will allow us to introduce ambitious new land management schemes in England, based on the principle of “public money for public goods”, so that we can reward farmers and land managers who protect our environment, improve animal welfare and produce high quality food in a more sustainable way. It will also help farmers to stay competitive, with measures to increase productivity and invest in new technology. The dairy response fund is a temporary measure introduced to deal with COVID-19 and is not meant as a long-term solution. We have also announced other measures to support the farming sector during COVID-19, including relaxation of driver’s hours, competition easements in the sector and promotion campaigns for beef and dairy. We remain in regular contact and continue to work with our food and farming sector to ensure that they have the support they need. This includes working closely with farmers and processor representatives to understand specific challenges sectors are facing.

Supermarkets: Coronavirus

Tom Tugendhat: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with representatives from supermarkets to ensure that people on the covid-19 shielded patient list have access to supermarket home deliveries after support from the Government has ended; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Prentis: Those who have been advised that they need to shield will still be able to register for support to access food until 17 July. This includes access to emergency food parcels and priority access to supermarket delivery. After this date, the National Shielding Service will no longer accept registrations. From 1 August, the advice to shield ends and so will delivery of emergency food parcels. Supermarkets and convenience stores have played a phenomenal part in ensuring sure the nation has access to food and essential supplies. Supermarkets have confirmed that shielded individuals who have requested help to access food will retain their priority access to online delivery slots after 1 August. If an individual registers for support before the deadline, and does not yet have an online account with supermarkets, supermarkets will continue to update their priority matching lists until 31 July. If a supermarket delivery slot is needed, please encourage shielded individuals to create online accounts with supermarkets as soon as possible. We are working continuously across Government and with supermarkets to remove barriers to accessing online delivery. When the advice to shield ends, there will still be options in place to support people to access food if they need help. If someone cannot access delivery slots, and friends and family are not able to help, then the NHS Volunteer Responders will continue to offer support with getting access to food. There are also other commercially available options including telephone ordering, food box delivery, prepared meal delivery and other non-supermarket food delivery providers. Local Authorities can help people in urgent need of support.

Air Pollution: Pollution Control

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to ensure that air quality levels in (a) Wolverhampton South West and (b) the rest of England remain lower than they were prior to the covid-19 outbreak.

Rebecca Pow: Air pollution poses one of the biggest environmental threats to public health. Our ambitious plans to decarbonise transport, improve air quality and support more active forms of travel have not changed, including the £3.8 billion we are already investing to clean up our air. Our recent rapid call for evidence will ensure we can fully understand the impact that coronavirus is having on changes in air pollution emissions, concentrations and exposure. Wolverhampton is part of the 2017 UK plan to tackle roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations; for Wolverhampton this includes the retrofitting of existing bus fleet and implementation of traffic management measures.

Air Pollution: Pollution Control

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of a policy of aiming for (a) World Health Organization guideline levels on particulate matter pollution by 2030 and (b) other stricter than existing environmental targets on the environmental sustainability of (i) general Government policy and (ii) business investment.

Rebecca Pow: In July 2019, we published a report assessing the progress that will be made towards World Health Organization (WHO) PM2.5 air quality guidelines with actions outlined in the Clean Air Strategy by 2030. This report showed that significant progress would be made towards achieving WHO guideline levels through the actions outlined in the Strategy, but that additional action would be needed to reach WHO guideline levels in specific locations (i.e. central London). The Government is committed to evidence-based policy making and will consider independent expert advice alongside evidence and analysis on a diversity of factors in setting air quality targets outlined in the Environment Bill. This will include the health benefits, the practical feasibility and economic viability of taking different actions to ensure that the targets are based on realistic pathways, robust science and full economic analysis such that they are ambitious, achievable and deliver the greatest public health benefits. The Government plans to bring forward at least one target in each of the four priority areas by the Environment Bill’s 31 October 2022 deadline. Legally binding targets are an important tool. They will drive action by successive governments to protect and enhance our natural world. They allow for robust, objective scrutiny and accountability of government’s progress and they provide much-needed long-term certainty to businesses and society, to support planning, innovation and investment.

Highly Protected Marine Areas

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to designate areas of UK coastal fishing waters as Highly Protected Marine Areas.

Victoria Prentis: We welcome the publication of the review into Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs), which was published on 8 June 2020 and is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/highly-protected-marine-areas-hpmas-review-2019. I am grateful to Richard Benyon and the advisory panel for their work. We will consider Richard Benyon's report and issue a formal response to him in due course, recognising our continued priority to support the cross-Government response to Covid-19. From there on, we have an opportunity to develop a programme of work to bring forward highly protected areas for the first time in English waters. We would of course consult widely with the public and stakeholders, including fishers, before any decision to designate an HPMA.A healthy and sustainable fishing industry in the long-term is dependent on a healthy marine environment, and the Fisheries Bill creates a robust framework for managing our fisheries sustainably in the future. The panel has concluded that HPMA can be a valuable tool to help deliver healthy seas. However, we recognise that some members of the fisheries community may be concerned by the impact of the Review’s recommendations on their livelihoods. The report suggests several ways in which government can reduce the impact on the fishing industry, for example by siting protected areas within existing protected areas and be adopting early, continuous engagement with all stakeholders when considering the location for an HPMA. Extensive consultation will take place before any decisions are made.

British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many times his Department has met with the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums since March.

Victoria Prentis: Since 25 March, Defra officials have been meeting (via teleconference or by telephone) BIAZA representatives at least once a week.

Home Office

Immigration: EEA Nationals

Jamie Stone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many EEA (a) nationals and (b) family members have permanent residence in the UK.

Jamie Stone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of EEA nationals that applied for permanent residence (a) applied for and (b) were granted settled status.

Jamie Stone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many EEA nationals that applied for permanent residence (a) applied for and (b) were granted British Citizenship.

Jamie Stone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that EEA nationals with permanent residence apply for (a) settled status or (b) British citizenship before 30 June 2021.

Kevin Foster: The latest published information on decisions on applications for permanent residence documents by EEA nationals and their family members can be found in the Home Office’s quarterly ‘Immigration Statistics’ publication, available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2020.Specifically, table ee_02_q ‘Issue and refusal of residence documentation (excluding EU Settlement Scheme) to EEA nationals and their family members, by country of nationality’ available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2020/list-of-tables#european-economic-area-eea.The latest published information on EU Settlement Scheme applications received and decided can be found in the Home Office’s ‘EU Settlement Scheme monthly statistics’ available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/eu-settlement-scheme-statistics-may-2020.The total number of EUSS applications received up to 31 May 2020 was more than 3.6 million (3,612,400).The latest published information on applications and decisions in respect of British citizenship can be found in the Home Office’s quarterly ‘Immigration Statistics’ publication, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2020 Specifically, datasets Cit_D01 – Applications for British citizenship, by application type and nationality and Cit_D02 – Grants of British citizenship, by application type, nationality, sex and age available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2020/list-of-tables#citizenship.In order to ensure resident EEA nationals and their family members understand how and by when to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme, the Home Office has put in place a comprehensive communications and engagement plan, using all available channels to reach our audiences – such as marketing, presentations, email updates, toolkits and webinars.The Home Office delivered a £4 million marketing campaign last year to encourage resident EEA nationals to apply and further campaign activity was undertaken earlier this year. Alongside this, we have also undertaken extensive engagement and outreach with stakeholder groups, including employers, local authorities and community organisations. No-one will be left behind, which is why we are working in partnership with representatives of vulnerable groups and other experts to make sure everyone knows what they need to do and has the right level of support.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to increase the proportion of EU27 citizens in Wales who apply for settled status.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will increase the number of scanning centres in Wales to improve access for EU27 citizens applying for settled status through the EU Settlement Scheme.

Kevin Foster: The latest published information shows more than 3.6 million EU Settlement Scheme applications had been received up to 31 May 2020. Of these, 59,400 applications had been received in Wales. The latest figures can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/eu-settlement-scheme-statistics.In order to ensure resident EEA and Swiss nationals, and their family members, understand how and by when to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme, the Home Office has put in place a comprehensive communications and engagement plan, using all available channels to reach our audiences – such as marketing, presentations, email updates, toolkits and webinars.The Home Office has delivered a £4 million marketing campaign to encourage resident EEA and Swiss nationals to apply. During the first burst of campaign activity billboards were placed in 186 locations in Wales with 50% of these posters in Welsh and 50% in English.No-one will be left behind, which is why we are working in partnership with representatives of vulnerable groups and other expert organisations to make sure the right level of support is available. This includes £9 million of funding awarded last year to 57 voluntary and community sector organisations across the UK to assist vulnerable and at-risk EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members. Five organisations are providing support for EEA and Swiss citizens in Wales: Newport Mind Association, Tros Gynnal Plant, International Organisation for Migration, Royal Association for Deaf People, and Rights of Women.There are multiple ways applicants can have their identity documents checked as part of the application process, including using the EU Exit: ID Document Check smartphone app or by posting identity documents to the Home Office. The identity document scanner locations are currently closed due to the COVID pandemic, following the latest public health guidance to protect staff. However, the Home Office and its delivery partners are keeping this situation under constant review and will endeavour to reinstate identity document scanner locations to their original capacity in line with public health guidance.

Home Office: Written Questions

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to Questions 7123 and 7124 on Immigration: EU Nationals, tabled on 23 January 2020 by the hon. Member for Arfon.

Kevin Foster: The responses for UIN 7123 and 7124 were given on 24th June 2020.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the funding allocated to charitable organisations to support vulnerable EU citizens to apply for EU Settled Status will be continued beyond March 2020.

Kevin Foster: The current grant funded organisations have had their funding extended until September 2020. In March, the Home Office announced a further £8 million would be made available to ensure funding for support organisations could continue through to March 2021. A new grant scheme has been launched and the bidding process started in May 2020.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps will be taken by UK Border Force to ascertain whether EU citizens entering the UK have settled status after the transition period.

Kevin Foster: After the Transition Period EU citizens will not be routinely asked to prove they have been granted status under the EU Settlement scheme in order to re-enter the UK, but systems will be in place to allow border officials to make such checks where necessary.Once the new points-based immigration system is fully introduced, Border Force will be able to identify those individuals granted status digitally without the need for the individual to provide evidence.

Sexual Offences

Karen Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of imposing restrictions on the online activity of convicted sex offenders.

Victoria Atkins: The UK has some of the toughest powers in the world to deal with sex offenders and we are committed to ensuring that the system is as robust as it can be. The Government believes that the current legislation provides a sufficiently robust framework to allow the police to monitor sex offenders and minimise the likelihood of reoffending. We keep this legislation under constant review to ensure that law enforcement continues to have the tools it needs to tackle the evolving threat of online exploitation.Under current legislation, sex offenders can have a range of restrictions placed on them depending on what the court deems necessary to protect the public. This can include; a condition that the individual cannot use any computer unless specialist computer monitoring software is installed on it; prohibiting the offender from using any device capable of accessing the internet unless it has the capacity to retain and display the history of internet use; the offender makes the device available on request for inspection by a police officer; and prohibiting the offender from deleting their internet history.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the ability of different police forces to implement regional covid-19 lockdowns consistently.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Secretary holds regular meetings with policing partners about a range of issues linked to the response to Covid-19 and the ability of the police to respond effectively. In addition, we are working with other government departments and the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC) to develop the framework for the local management of further outbreaks. As this work continues, we will maintain our close working relationship with the police to fully understand the impact on local forces.

Opiates: Crime

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the level of illegal use of (a) fentanyl and (b) other opioids in the UK.

Kit Malthouse: 59687: Information relating to the number of illicit opiate users in England is provided in these data tables, published by Public Health England: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/opiate-and-crack-cocaine-use-prevalence-estimates-for-local-populations. Equivalent data for the other countries of the UK is not available. No estimate has been made by the Home Office of illegal use of fentanyl in the UK.

Crime: Gambling

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many arrests for acquisitive crimes there have been where the arrested person cited debts from gambling as the reason for that crime in each of the last five years.

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the value was of (a) cash and (b) goods stolen from acquisitive crime where the arrested person cited debts from (i) gambling and (ii) gambling addiction as the reason for their criminal activity in each of the last five years.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office does not hold the information requested centrally.

Visas: Coronavirus

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending all visa categories to compensate for the time lost during the covid-19 lockdown.

Kevin Foster: This government has taken the unprecedented measure of extending visas until 31 July in order to support people unable to leave the UK, due to circumstances outside of their control. The Home Office has put in place a range of measures to support those affected by the covid-19 outbreak, full details of which are published on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-uk-visa-applicants-and-temporary-uk-residents. We continue to monitor the situation closely and take exceptional circumstances into account.

Marriage: Licences

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to reopen registry offices as part of the lifting of covid-19 lockdown restrictions to enable couples to obtain a licence to marry.

Kevin Foster: The local registration service in England and Wales has been advised notices of intention to marry or form a civil partnership can be taken where these can be safely delivered in line with public health and local authority guidelines.

Migrant Workers: Visas

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to reverse her Department's plans to not issue visas to low-skilled migrants in response to the covid-19 pandemic.

Kevin Foster: We will not be introducing a route for employers to recruit at or near the legal minimum wage those the member believes are “low-skilled migrants” based on job offers which do not meet the requirements of the new skilled worker route. Immigration policies should be considered as part of, not as an alternative to, efforts to get those UK based workers who have lost their employment due to the impacts of Covid-19 back into work or ensuring those who work in key roles are offered appropriate salary packages.

Children: Domestic Abuse

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle child to parent abuse.

Victoria Atkins: The Government is committed to tackling all forms of domestic abuse. On 3 March 2020 we reintroduced the landmark draft Domestic Abuse Bill alongside a wide-ranging package of measures to protect and support victims. The Bill has recently passed Committee stage. Our statutory definition of domestic abuse recognises that abuse can also involve wider family members, including parental abuse by an adolescent or grown child or between older siblings. In 2015 the Government published an information guide on adolescent to parent violence and abuse, which provides materials and advice to support professionals in the police, the health system, the justice system, the education system, youth services. The Government has also committed to draw together best practice and develop training and resources to improve the response to victims of adolescent to parent violence; this work is ongoing.

Arrests: Domestic Abuse

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many arrests there have been as a result of domestic violence in (a) each of the last five years and (b) 2020.

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers in each police force worked solely on domestic violence in each of the last five years.

Kit Malthouse: This information is publicly available on www.gov.uk

Police: Dismissal and Disciplinary Proceedings

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers have been (a) dismissed and (b) disciplined for using excessive force in (i) each of the last five years and (ii) 2020, by police force.

Kit Malthouse: This information is publicly available on www.gov.uk

Marriage: Registration

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans the Government has to reopen registry offices to enable registration of an intention to marry.

Chris Philp: The local registration service in England has been advised that they can open to take notices of intention to marry where these can be safely delivered in line with public health and local authority guidelines. Restrictions in Wales have not yet been lifted.

EU Nationals: Northern Ireland

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment the Government has made of the compatibility of the changes to the Immigration Rules for Northern Ireland announced on 14 May 2020 with Government commitments under the New Decade New Approach deal to bring domestic UK immigration rules in line with the Good Friday Agreement; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward the date of the EU settlement scheme applications for Northern Ireland from 24 August 2020.

Kevin Foster: The statement of changes to the Immigration Rules laid before Parliament on 14 May will amend the EU Settlement Scheme so family members of the people of Northern Ireland can apply for immigration status on broadly the same terms as family members of Irish citizens.  This delivers the commitment made in the New Decade, New Approach agreement which restored the Northern Ireland Executive in January 2020. Those living in Northern Ireland and currently eligible for leave under the EU Settlement Scheme have been able to make an application since the scheme opened fully in March 2019. In order for relevant operational preparations to be made for the changes announced on 14 May, applications from relevant family members of the people of Northern Ireland can be made from 24 August.

Passports

Kate Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what security safeguards have been put in place since UK passport production was moved from De La Rue in the UK to Gemalto in France in 2016.

Kevin Foster: There are a range of safeguards in place to protect the security of the passport service throughout the change of supplier. This has included assuring the sites used by Thales (formerly Gemalto) to produce the UK passport against the UK Security Policy Framework. In addition, they have been independently certified to the international standard for the Management of Security Printing Processes, ISO 14298 and the international standard for Information Security Management, ISO27001.All passports continue to be personalised with the passport holder’s personal details such as name and photograph, in the United Kingdom. This ensures no personal data leaves the UK.The outgoing supplier has maintained the required standards of security throughout the transition, with agreed plans in place for the secure decommissioning and destruction of the assets from this service.

Cabinet Office

Government Departments: Carers

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants in each Government Department have used the Civil Service's Carers Passport in each of the last five years.

Chloe Smith: The Civil Service Carer’s Passport was launched in June 2018. We do not currently collect information centrally about civil servants completing a carer’s passport but are already looking to capture this data better in future.

Cabinet Office: Ministerial Responsibility

Mr William Wragg: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June to Question 59509 on Cabinet Office: Ministerial Responsibility, if he will publish the time taken for the updated list of ministerial responsibilities to be published after each (a) Ministerial reshuffle and (b) General Election in each of the last ten years.

Chloe Smith: Details of the updates to the List of Ministerial Responsibilities are published on GOV.UK:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-ministers-and-responsibilities#history

Treasury

Self-employment Income Support Scheme

Ian Blackford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to discount the state pension as income for the purpose of claiming the Self-Employment Support Scheme.

Jesse Norman: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer to Parliamentary Question 49808 on 2 June 2020: https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2020-05-20/49808/.

Silver: VAT

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue is raised annually for the public purse from VAT on sales of silver bullion (a) coins and (b) bars.

Jesse Norman: HM Revenue and Customs do not hold data on VAT collected specifically from the sale of silver bullion, as information on supplies of specific commodities is not required on VAT returns. HMRC record and publish annually details of VAT receipts across trade sectors and subsectors, but not of specific commodities.

Tolls: Greater London

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department requested TfL to bring forward plans to increase the scope and level of the Congestion Charge as a condition of the funding deal announced in May 2020.

Kemi Badenoch: On 15 May the government announced a £1.6 billion emergency funding and financing package to enable Transport for London to continue operating services for essential journeys through the COVID 19 outbreak. As part of the agreement with the Department for Transport, the Mayor of London agreed a number of measures to support the safe restart of the transport system, including by helping Londoners move towards greener and healthier walking and cycling options. This included reintroducing the congestion charge, LEZ and ULEZ. The decision to immediately raise the congestion charge to £15 was taken by the Mayor. This will be assessed as part of the Department for Transport’s upcoming review into TfL’s future financial position.

Debts: Mental Illness

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer,  what steps his Department is taking to mitigate the effect of debt on people's mental health during the covid-19 outbreak.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of debt collection letters on people's mental health during the covid-19 outbreak.

John Glen: The government has taken significant steps to support individuals and businesses through this difficult time, including through the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme. The government has worked closely with the Financial Conduct Authority to deliver payment holidays to provide temporary support to consumers. To ensure that people have access to the help they need to make effective financial decisions and manage their debt, the government is providing an additional £37.8m for debt advice providers, bringing the Money and Pensions Services’ debt advice budget to over £100m this financial year. The government recognises that the mental health impacts of Covid-19 are significant. The Prime Minister has announced £4.2m for mental health charities to ensure they can meet increased demand as a result of Covid-19. This builds on the £5m grant announced in March to be allocated to national and local mental health organisations. The Government is also working to implement Breathing Space, which will give people in problem debt access to a 60-day moratorium on creditor action. People receiving treatment for mental health crisis will be able to access the protections of Breathing Space via a different entry route that mitigates the specific barriers that this group might face in engaging with professional debt advice. It is important that lenders communicate with their customers about debt, so they can be supported to manage their finances. The government recognises that some of the wording in these letters can cause concern and we are monitoring the issue.

Consumer Credit Act 1974

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of amending the Consumer Credit Act (1974) as part of the Government's covid-19 response; and if he will make a statement.

John Glen: In March 2019, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) submitted its final report to HM Treasury on the review of the retained provisions of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. The Government is considering whether further reform of the market is necessary and desirable, taking into account the COVID-19 crisis.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Anthony Browne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to publish weekly statistics on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme for each (a) local authority and (b) parliamentary constituency.

Jesse Norman: Statistics on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme are published on GOV.UK. The latest publication can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/coronavirus-job-retention-scheme-statistics-june-2020. This includes a breakdown of the total number of employments furloughed by local authority and by parliamentary constituency. HM Revenue and Customs are continuing to develop statistics on the CJRS and plan to publish monthly updates.

Working Tax Credit

Jeremy Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department made of the effect of the additional earnings disregards for Housing Benefits on tax credits before introducing the increase in the disability element of working tax credits that came into effect in April 2020.

Steve Barclay: Section 41 of The Tax Credit Act 2002 requires Treasury ministers to undertake an annual review of the rates of Tax Credits and to consider whether they have retained their value. The disabled worker element and severe disability element of Working Tax Credit were uprated by CPI for 2020/21 to £3,3220 and £1,390 respectively. During the review of Tax Credit rates for 2020/21 no specific assessment was made of the effect of the Housing Benefit disregards when setting the disability element rates of Working Tax Credit.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Jeremy Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the terms of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to enable employees to take part in employer sanctioned research and development work while furloughed.

Jesse Norman: The purpose of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is to support people who would otherwise have been made redundant. To prevent fraudulent claims, the Government made it clear that individuals cannot work or volunteer for their organisation. When on furlough, an employee can undertake training or volunteer subject to public health guidance, so long as they are not making money for their employer or any organisation linked or associated with their association, or providing services to their employer or any organisation linked or associated with their association.

Businesses: Non-domestic Rates

Felicity Buchan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support his Department provides to owners of shared office spaces which remain liable for business rates and are ineligible for other forms of Government support.

Kemi Badenoch: The Business Rates Relief has been directed towards the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors as these are properties that are wholly or mainly being used by visiting members of the public. However, shared office spaces owners who are ineligible for the Local Authority (LA) grant schemes may be eligible for the Discretionary Grant Scheme in England. This has made up to £617m of additional funding available to LAs to enable them to make payments of up to £25,000 to businesses. LAs have received guidance regarding which kinds of businesses should be considered a priority, which includes those in shared offices. LAs may also choose to pay grants to businesses according to local economic need, so long as businesses meet the following criteria:They face ongoing fixed building-related costsThey can demonstrate that they have suffered a significant fall in income due to COVID-19They have fewer than 50 employees;They were trading on or before 11th March Small businesses operating out of shared offices also continue to have access to a range of support measures including, but not limited to:The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS)The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS)The Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBL) for small and micro enterprisesVAT deferral for up to 12 monthsThe Time To Pay scheme, through which businesses in financial distress, and with outstanding tax liabilities, can receive support with their tax affairsProtection for commercial leaseholders against automatic forfeiture for non-payment until June 30, 2020 – with an option for the Government to extend if needed. The Business Support website provides further information about how businesses can access the support that has been made available, who is eligible and how to apply -https://www.gov.uk/business-coronavirus-support-finder.

Self-employment Income Support Scheme

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme to remove the eligibility criteria of no more than £50,000 in trading profit profits for the second wave of Government support for self-employed people.

Jesse Norman: The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) helps those adversely affected by COVID-19. Individuals can at present claim a taxable grant under the SEISS worth 80 per cent of their average monthly trading profits, paid out in a single instalment covering three months’ worth of profits, and capped at £7,500 in total. The extension of the SEISS announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 29 May 2020 means that eligible individuals whose businesses are adversely affected by COVID-19 will be able to claim a second and final grant when the scheme reopens for applications in August. This will be a taxable grant worth 70 per cent of their average monthly trading profits, paid out in a single instalment covering three months’ worth of profits, and capped at £6,570 in total. The SEISS, including the £50,000 threshold for average trading profits, is designed to target those who most need it, and who are most reliant on their self-employment income. The self-employed are very diverse and have a wide mix of turnover and profits, with monthly and annual variations even in normal times, and in some cases with substantial alternative forms of income too: for example, those who had more than £50,000 from trading profits in 2018-19 had an average total income of more than £200,000. Some 95 per cent of those with more than half of their income from self-employment in 2018-19 could be eligible for this scheme. Those with average trading profits above £50,000 may still be eligible for other elements of the unprecedented financial support package made available by the Government. These measures include Bounce Back Loans, tax deferrals, rental support, increased levels of Universal Credit, mortgage holidays, and other business support grants.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

John Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the number of people who will return to work from furlough as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme ends.

Jesse Norman: The CJRS has helped over one million employers protect over 9.1 million jobs. As the country re-opens, Government support will need to be adjusted in a way that ensures people can get back to work, and get the UK economy up and running again. The CJRS has been designed to flexibly and gradually enable employees to return to work. From 1 July, employers can bring back to work employees that have been furloughed for any amount of time and any shift pattern, while still being able to claim a CJRS grant for the hours not worked. From August to October, an employer contribution will be introduced gradually. It is the case that some employers and sectors will be affected by coronavirus for longer than others, and the Government will seek to support these firms appropriately. CJRS is just one form of support on offer to employers during this difficult period. The Government will continue to engage with businesses and representative groups with the aim of ensuring that the support provided is right for these sectors and for the economy as a whole.

Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses have accessed the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund since its inception, by region and local authority area; and what the total value is of grants provided under that fund to date.

Kemi Badenoch: As of 14th June 2020, over 844,000 business premises have received grants worth over £10.36 billion from the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund and the Small Business Grant Fund. Every week, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy publishes the combined figures for the number and value of grants paid out from the RHLGF and SBGF. These data are broken down by Local Authority and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-grant-funding-local-authority-payments-to-small-and-medium-businesses. These data are not published on a regional basis.

Business: Tax Allowances

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing tax relief for businesses which have enhanced safety measures due to the covid-19 outbreak.

Jesse Norman: Businesses should make every effort to ensure their workplace is COVID-19 secure to protect their customers and workers before they open. The Government recognises this challenge and therefore set up ministerial-led taskforces last month to work with sectors to develop safe ways for them to reopen at the earliest point when safe to do so, as well as pilot re-openings to test businesses’ ability to adopt the guidelines. In addition, the Government is providing an unprecedented package of support to help businesses through this period. Fiscal support worth £20bn has been directed to businesses in England through tax relief and cash grants to help them manage cash flow. This package includes cash grants of up to £25,000 for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses with a rateable value of between £15,000 and £51,000 and further grants of £10,000 for several hundred thousand businesses eligible for business rate relief and rural rate relief. Further, the Government also removed all eligible properties in the retail, hospitality and leisure sector from business rates, so that no pub, hotel, or high street shop will pay business rates for 12 months. The Government will continue to consider appropriate measures to protect lives and livelihoods during this period.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Hospitality Industry and Tourism

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme beyond October 2020 for the tourism and hospitality sector and its food and drink supply chain.

Jesse Norman: The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) is a temporary scheme in place for eight months starting from 1 March and ending at the end of October. It is the case that some firms will be affected by coronavirus for longer than others, and the Government will seek to support these firms appropriately. It would be challenging to target the CJRS to specific sectors in a fair and deliverable way, and it may not be the case that this is the most effective or sensible way to provide longer term support for those sectors most affected by coronavirus. The Government will continue to engage with businesses and representative groups with the aim of ensuring that support provided is right for these sectors and for the economy as a whole.

Non-domestic Rates: Coronavirus

Luke Pollard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost of including business improvement district levies in the business rates relief support during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jesse Norman: Business rates are distinct from the Business Improvement District (BID) levy and are managed separately. The BID legislation requires businesses to pay the BID levy and any decision to waive or reduce the levy is to be made by the BID Board of Directors. Therefore, business rates relief will not be applied to any percentage payment towards a BID. However, the Government is making available up to £6.1 million of support to BIDs to cover the equivalent of three months of core operational costs. This funding will protect BID bodies from insolvency and ensure that they weather the current crisis. Local authorities and BIDs will now be able to be flexible with the enforcement of the levy for businesses that are unable to pay, but business remain liable for the levy and those that can still pay should still pay.

Tax Avoidance: Multinational Companies

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to reduce levels of tax avoidance by multi-national corporations.

Jesse Norman: The UK has a comprehensive range of measures in place to tackle tax avoidance and tax planning arrangements entered into by multinational corporations. For example, the Diverted Profits Tax (DPT) was introduced in 2015, and aims to change the behaviour of companies using contrived arrangements to avoid UK tax, by charging tax on these arrangements at a higher rate. Its primary purpose is to ensure that the profits taxed in the UK fully reflect the economic activity carried on in the UK. Similarly, the Offshore Receipts from Intangibles Property (ORIP) regime, introduced in 2019, is designed to deal with arrangements where the UK sales of multinational groups generate significant offshore income in low or no tax jurisdictions, in circumstances where normal royalty withholding tax rules would not apply. This measure is expected to generate about £1bn of additional tax revenue over a five year period. The UK continues to take a leading role in international efforts to tackle tax avoidance by multinationals. Following on from the OECD BEPS (Base Erosion and Profit Shifting) project, the UK is fully engaged in continuing work at the OECD in relation to the challenges of taxing the digital economy. The UK has been at the forefront of these discussions within the OECD, and will be continuing to meet virtually with the OECD Working Parties in the coming weeks and months. With regard to the taxation of the digital economy, the UK has been clear that it favours an international agreement on this issue. In advance of an agreed outcome, the UK has introduced its own Digital Services Tax (DST) which came into force in April 2020 and is expected to generate over £2bn of additional tax revenue in the next 5 years. The DST will be an important tool for addressing the limitations of the existing international tax framework, ensuring that businesses pay tax in the UK that reflects the value they generate from user interaction. The Government has been clear that it will remove the DST once an appropriate global solution is in place.

Business: Coronavirus

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many of the businesses that closed or partially closed because of lockdown he expects to be fully open and trading from 1st July; whether he is aware that HMRC have issued businesses with notices that VAT due after 30th June cannot be deferred and must be paid in full and on time; and whether he will make it his policy to extend coronavirus VAT deferral period.

Jesse Norman: The Prime Minister has already set out next steps on the Government’s response to COVID-19. In the publication “Our plan to rebuild: The UK Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy”, the Government sets out which businesses can be expected to open when, and under what conditions. The VAT payments deferral scheme is ending on 30 June as planned. HMRC have reminded businesses of this so that they are better prepared and ready to reinstate payments with VAT returns due after this date. HMRC’s Time To Pay service is still available for businesses struggling to pay their tax bills.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Claire Hanna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will implement an exception for people who submitted their RTI to HMRC for their PAYE salary annually on a date after the 19 March 2020  so that they may be eligible to be furloughed under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

Jesse Norman: For an employee to be eligible for the CJRS they must have been notified to HMRC on a real-time information (RTI) submission on or before 19 March. Those paid annually are eligible to claim, as long as they meet the relevant conditions including being notified to HMRC on an RTI submission on or before 19 March 2020, which relates to a payment of earnings in the 2019/2020 tax year. Anyone paid annually and notified on an RTI submission after that date will not be eligible for the scheme, which puts them in the same position as those who are paid more frequently and were not notified to HMRC on or before 19 March. The 19 March cut-off date allows as many people as possible to be included by going right up to the day before the announcement and addresses the risk of fraud that existed as soon as the scheme became public.

Public Expenditure: Wales

Ben Lake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Department for Education's announcement of 19 June 2020, what estimate he has made of the Barnett consequentials for Wales arising from the (a) £650 million catch-up funding for schools and (b) £350 million for the establishment of a National Tutoring Programme.

Steve Barclay: Any new funding for the Department for Education will have the Barnett formula applied to it in the usual way.

*No heading*

John Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the effect on (a) UK output and (b) tax revenues of changing the social distancing guidance from two metres to one metre.

Kemi Badenoch: We cannot isolate the impact of shifting from two metres to one metre in the social distancing guidance on UK output and tax revenues. However, it is clear that Covid-19 and the wider social distancing measures are having an unprecedented impact on the economy which has suffered a 20.4% fall in GDP in April. We recognise the challenges facing businesses in adapting to the Covid-19 guidance during this time. It is for this reason that the Prime Minister has commissioned a comprehensive review of the 2m guidance, which has been published and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-two-metre-social-distancing-guidance As he announced to the House on Tuesday 23 June, where it is not possible to keep two metres apart, businesses will be able to maintain a social distance of ‘one-metre plus’ from 4 July, provided that they take precautionary steps to reduce risks to protect and customers. The Government continues to publish Covid-secure guidance to help sectors reopen in the safest way possible, as well as continuing to take robust actions to protect jobs, income and support businesses while fighting the virus during this challenging and unique period.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Channel Four: Privatisation

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government has plans to privatise Channel 4.

Mr John Whittingdale: The government has no current plans to privatise Channel 4.

Voluntary Organisations: Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what further steps he is taking to provide additional financial support for the Voluntary and Community Sector in addition to the £750 million announced on the 8th April 2020.

Mr John Whittingdale: The Government has announced a broad package of support for businesses and charities to ensure that organisations that need support are able to access it. This includes the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, and the option to defer VAT payments due between 20 March and 30 June 2020. In addition to the broad package of support and the £750m to specifically support the Voluntary and Community Sector, the government has also unlocked a further £150 million from dormant bank and building society accounts. These will be distributed to organisations to support urgent work for groups in need to tackle youth unemployment, expand access to emergency loans for civil society organisations and help improve the availability of fair, affordable credit to people in vulnerable circumstances.

Actors and Theatres: Coronavirus

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what support he is providing to (a) self-employed actors and (b) theatres who lost income as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Caroline Dinenage: In order to support the sustainability of the arts sector, including self-employed actors and theatres, DCMS has worked closely with Arts Council England (ACE) to provide a tailored package of financial support. In March, ACE announced a £160m emergency response package to complement the financial measures already announced by the Government and to ensure immediate resilience of this vital sector. This includes £20 million of financial support for individuals, including self-employed actors, and £140 million of support for organisations, including theatres, so they can better sustain themselves, and their work, in the coming months. To date over 9000 individuals and organisations have been successful in applying for this support. Furthermore, self employed visual artists are among the millions of people (including self-employed actors) who can now benefit from the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme, which will provide those eligible with cash grants worth up to £2,500 per month. We expect that the Self-Employed Income Support scheme will cover 95% of people who receive the majority of their income from self-employment.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Renewable Energy

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many (a) solar panels and (b) wind turbines his Department's buildings (a) have in 2020 and (b) had in each of the last five years.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department’s energy is supplied by HMRC, from whom DCMS leases office space. The department has no buildings of its own.

Newspaper Press: Regulation

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department plans to work with IMPRESS or other independent regulators.

Mr John Whittingdale: An independent press is vital to a strong and healthy democracy. The government is supportive of the independence of self-regulatory bodies. Ministers and officials are open to engagement with such bodies.

Tourism

Jamie Stone: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, on what date the Minister for Tourism, held discussions with his counterpart in the Scottish Government on specialized support for the tourism Industry; and if he will publish the minutes of discussions between the Government ministers and  the Scottish Government on support for the  tourism industry between 24 March and 18 June 2020.

Nigel Huddleston: The Minister for Sports, Tourism and Heritage holds regular discussions with his three counterparts in the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive. The dates on which such meetings have taken place since the start of the Coronavirus crisis are: 25th March, 8th April, 21st April, 7th May, 27th May, and 9th June. There are no plans at present to publish the minutes of these discussions.

Caravans: Second Homes

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the Government's timeline is for the opening of sites for static caravans owned as a second home.

Nigel Huddleston: People will be allowed to travel to second homes - including static caravans - for overnight stays in England from 4 July, in Phase 3 of the government’s recovery strategy My Department has been working closely with the holiday accommodation sector, including the British Holiday & Home Parks Association (BH&HPA), through the Visitor Economy Working Group to produce guidance on the reopening of the tourism sector. This will include guidance on reopening hotels, caravans and other guest accommodation. The guidance will be published shortly.VisitEngland are working on a common industry standard quality mark. While work is ongoing, it will be designed to complement COVID-19 Secure Guidelines produced by the Government.

Caravan Sites: Coronavirus

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when the Government plans to allow (a) mobile caravan sites to reopen and (b) allow users of mobile caravans to stay in them overnight.

Nigel Huddleston: Forms of holiday accommodation such as caravan parks will be allowed to reopen for overnight stays in Phase 3 of the government’s recovery strategy on 4 July. My Department has been working closely with the sector, including the British Holiday & Home Parks Association (BH&HPA), through the Visitor Economy Working Group to produce guidance on the reopening of the tourism sector. This will include guidance on reopening hotels, caravans and other guest accommodation. The guidance will be published shortly.VisitEngland are working on a common industry standard quality mark. While work is ongoing, it will be designed to complement COVID-19 Secure Guidelines produced by the Government.

Northern Ireland Office

Customs: Northern Ireland

Kerry McCarthy: When he plans to issue guidance to businesses on the steps they will need to take under the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Rachael Maskell: When he plans to issue guidance to businesses on the steps they will need to take under the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Brandon Lewis: The Government is committed to having regular detailed discussions with business about how the Protocol is implemented and to support preparation for the end of the transition period. Our Command Paper sets out clearly the approach we will take. We will publish guidance for business this summer, and proactively communicate how processes will change.

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: What recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on support for implementing the payment scheme for victims of the Troubles.

Brandon Lewis: I have written to - and had meetings with - the First and deputy First Minister on this issue and will continue to engage with the Executive as a matter of urgency to try and unblock progress. My officials have been offering support to assist the Executive Office in making progress on implementation. Victims have waited too long already and we will continue to prioritise supporting the Executive’s delivery of this scheme. The current framework provides a fair, balanced and proportionate basis for helping those who suffered most throughout the Troubles. It is therefore imperative that Sinn Féin enable the scheme to move forward by agreeing with all the other parties and designating a department.